The Daily Stat from Harvard Business Review

 

March 31, 2015 The Value of Pessimism in Sales Although the vast majority of salespeople describe themselves as optimists, a survey shows that nearly two-thirds of high-performing sales professionals exhibit pessimistic personality tendencies, Steve W. Martin of the University of Southern California writes on HBR.org. Inward pessimism may drive these high performers to question the viability of the deal and the buyer's credibility, pushing them to ask tougher qualifying questions and seek meetings with senior-level decision makers who ultimately decide which vendor will be selected, Martin says. SOURCE: What Separates the Strongest Salespeople from the Weakest

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FEATURED PRODUCT Changing Your Company from the Inside Out: A Guide for Social Intrapreneurs HBR Paperback Book Make your company a force for good. You’re ambitious. You’re not afraid to take risks. You want to bring about positive social change. And while your peers have left a trail of failed start-ups in their wake, you want to initiate change from within an established company, where you can have a more far-reaching, even global impact. Welcome to the club—you’re a social intrapreneur. “Changing Your Company from the Inside Out” provides the tools to empower you to jump-start initiatives that matter to you—and that should matter to your company. Drawing on lessons from social movements as well as on the work of successful intrapreneurs, Gerald Davis and Christopher White provide you with a guide for creating positive social change from within your own organization. Buy Now

FEATURED PRODUCT HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case Ebook + Tools HBR Press Book This enhanced eBook version of the HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case includes downloadable tools and templates to help you get started on your own case right away. You've got a great idea that will increase profitability or productivity – but how do you get approval for the budget and resources to make it happen? By building a business case that clearly shows your idea's value. Available exclusively through HBR.org. Buy Now

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The Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review

 

March 31, 2015 Take Charge of Your New Role After a Promotion Moving up the ladder in an organization usually means greater rewards, more responsibilities, and higher stakes. But transitioning into a bigger role can be challenging. Typically, the more senior the role, the less structured the onboarding process, which can feel disorienting. The key is to take responsibility for it yourself. This doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help or accept support. But you should be prepared to get up to speed as independently as possible. Start by answering these questions: What do I need to do in the first week? The first 30 days? The first quarter? Who do I need to meet, and what’s the best way to connect with them? What don’t I know – and what will I be expected to know? If I find myself struggling, how will I ask for help or guidance? Adapted from “A Checklist for Someone About to Take on a Tougher Job” by Ed Batista.

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FEATURED PRODUCT HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case Ebook + Tools HBR Press Book This enhanced eBook version of the HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case includes downloadable tools and templates to help you get started on your own case right away. You've got a great idea that will increase profitability or productivity – but how do you get approval for the budget and resources to make it happen? By building a business case that clearly shows your idea's value. Available exclusively through HBR.org. Buy Now

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HBR.ORG | THE MAGAZINE | TOPICS | BOOKS | CASES | STORE | SUBSCRIBE TO HBR UNSUBSCRIBE | NEWSLETTERS PRIVACY POLICY | CONTACT Copyright © 2015 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing 60 Harvard Way Boston, MA 02163 CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-545-7685 (US/Canada) 1-617-783-7600 (outside the U.S. and Canada)

 

Weekly Hotlist: The 5 Biases Pushing Women Out of STEM

 

March 30, 2015 The 5 Biases Pushing Women Out of STEM By Joan C. Williams A new study looks at race as well as gender.

Collaboration Why Group Brainstorming Is a Waste of Time by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic There are better ways to be creative. Leading teams Empathy Is Key to a Great Meeting by Annie McKee It's one of two necessary emotional competencies. Organizational culture 6 Rules for Building and Scaling Company Culture by Anthony K. Tjan For your business to survive, it needs character and purpose. Social media How to Separate the Personal and Professional on Social Media by Ariane Ollier-Malaterre and Nancy Rothbard Four strategies. Talent management Technology Can Save Onboarding from Itself by Keith Ferrazzi What matters is how you use it. Collaboration Meetings: When to Present and When to Converse by Nancy Duarte It depends on what you're trying to accomplish. Leadership The Most Productive Way to Develop as a Leader by Herminia Ibarra Think of self-improvement as play, not work. Communication Relearning the Art of Asking Questions by Tom Pohlmann and Neethi Mary Thomas Focus on the problem you're trying to solve.

BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials | HBR's 10 Must Reads Boxed Set | HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations | HBR Guide to Better Business Writing | HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done

FEATURED PRODUCT Mastering Project Management Collection 2nd Edition HBR Press Book How many projects in your organization have come in on time and on budget? Are you panicking because you've been asked to lead a project and are not sure where to begin? Have you lost money on a sure-thing project and had no idea why? Are many of your biggest projects failing outright while others lag months behind schedule? This specially priced "Mastering Project Management Collection" will give you the confidence and tools you need to manage projects effectively. It includes these 3 volumes: "HBR Guide to Project Management " (Paperback) will help you choose the right team and keep it humming, avoid "scope creep", zero in on critical tasks and map out a logical sequence, make heads or tails of Gantt and PERT charts, and get disruptive team members on board. This 3 volume set will prove to be an indispensable collection for anyone tasked with managing projects—all at a savings of more than 25% off the individual component prices. Buy It Now

FEATURED PRODUCT Driven to Distraction at Work: How to Focus and Be More Productive HBR Press Book You know the feeling: you can’t focus; you feel increasingly overwhelmed by a mix of nonstop demands and technology that seems to be moving at the speed of light; and you’re frustrated just trying to get everything done well—and on time. Not only is this taking a toll on performance, it’s impacting your sense of well-being outside the office. It’s time to reclaim control. Bestselling author Edward M. Hallowell, MD provides a set of practical and reliable techniques to show how to sustain a productive mental state. He identifies the six most common ways people lose the ability to focus at work and provides advice for “training” your attention overall, so that you are less susceptible to surrendering it, in any situation. The result is a book that will empower you to combat each one of these common syndromes—and clear a path for you to achieve your highest personal and professional goals. Buy It Now

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HBR.ORG | TOPICS | THE MAGAZINE | BOOKS | CASES | STORE | SUBSCRIBE TO HBR UNSUBSCRIBE | NEWSLETTERS PRIVACY POLICY | CONTACT Copyright © 2015 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing 60 Harvard Way Boston, MA 02163 CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-545-7685 (US/Canada) 1-617-783-7600 (outside the U.S. and Canada)

 

The Daily Stat from Harvard Business Review

 

March 30, 2015 When Is One Dollar Worth More than Two? In an experiment, participants were 68% more likely to complete a task if their reward was uncertain – if they stood to receive either $1 or $2, based on a coin flip – than if the reward was simply $2, says a team led by Luxi Shen of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. This and other studies suggest that the excitement of a reward's uncertainty can sometimes motivate people to invest more time and effort in a task. Marketers take heed: As long as consumers focus mainly on the fun and don’t focus too much on the amount, framing a discount as uncertain can make shopping seem like a game and generate consumer excitement, the researchers say. SOURCE: The Motivating-Uncertainty Effect: Uncertainty Increases Resource Investment in the Process of Reward Pursuit

BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials | HBR's 10 Must Reads Ebook Boxed Set | HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations Ebook + Video Case Study | HBR Guide to Better Business Writing | HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done

FEATURED PRODUCT Changing Your Company from the Inside Out: A Guide for Social Intrapreneurs HBR Paperback Book Make your company a force for good. You’re ambitious. You’re not afraid to take risks. You want to bring about positive social change. And while your peers have left a trail of failed start-ups in their wake, you want to initiate change from within an established company, where you can have a more far-reaching, even global impact. Welcome to the club—you’re a social intrapreneur. “Changing Your Company from the Inside Out” provides the tools to empower you to jump-start initiatives that matter to you—and that should matter to your company. Drawing on lessons from social movements as well as on the work of successful intrapreneurs, Gerald Davis and Christopher White provide you with a guide for creating positive social change from within your own organization. Buy Now

FEATURED PRODUCT HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case Ebook + Tools HBR Press Book This enhanced eBook version of the HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case includes downloadable tools and templates to help you get started on your own case right away. You've got a great idea that will increase profitability or productivity – but how do you get approval for the budget and resources to make it happen? By building a business case that clearly shows your idea's value. Available exclusively through HBR.org. Buy Now

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HBR.ORG | THE MAGAZINE | TOPICS | BOOKS | CASES | STORE | SUBSCRIBE TO HBR UNSUBSCRIBE | NEWSLETTERS PRIVACY POLICY | CONTACT Copyright © 2015 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing 60 Harvard Way Boston, MA 02163 CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-545-7685 (US/Canada) 1-617-783-7600 (outside the U.S. and Canada)