Source: linkedin
Title: 'Research-Proven Tricks That Make You Seem Smarter Than You Are'
Authors: Dr. Travis Bradberry
Date: April 2016

 

Research-proven tricks that make you seem smarter than you are.

It’s great to be smart, but intelligence is a hard thing to pin down. In many cases, how smart people think you are is just as important as how smart you actually are.

 

“I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow.” - Woodrow Wilson

 

As it turns out, intelligence only explains about 20% of how you do in life; much of the other 80% comes down to emotional intelligence (EQ). EQ is a skill that’s so important that 90% of top performers in the workplace have high EQs and people with high EQs make $28,000 more annually than those with low EQs.

The hallmark of emotional intelligence is self-awareness, which involves not just knowing how you are but also how other people perceive you. People with high emotional intelligence are masters of influence—they’re skilled at altering their behavior to make the most of a given situation.

 

Use a middle initial. John F. Kennedy. Franklin D. Roosevelt. It turns out there might be a reason that so many people who hold a prominent place in history used a middle initial.

 

Make graphs. Research conducted at Cornell suggests that people are more likely to trust a source if it contains graphs.

 

Skip that drink. And that’s not just because people tend to do stupid things when they’ve been drinking. A joint study conducted by the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania revealed that merely seeing someone hold a drink is enough to make them seem less intelligent.

 

Believe in yourself. Nothing projects intelligence quite like confidence. When you believe in yourself, it shows, and research shows that believing in yourself improves your performance on cognitive tasks.

 

Write simply. If you’re really smart, you shouldn’t have to use big words to broadcast it. True intelligence speaks for itself, so you don’t have to show off your impressive vocabulary. I

 

Speak expressively. Communication expert Leonard Mlodinow makes the case that even if two people say exactly the same thing, the one who says it most expressively will be perceived as being smarter.

 

Look 'em in the eye. We know we’re supposed to do this anyway—it’s good manners, right? That’s true, but it also makes you look smarter.

 

Wear nerd glasses. Did your mom ever tell you to be nice to the nerds, because you’ll probably be working for them someday? As usual, mom was onto something.

 

Keep pace with the crowd. I mean this one literally. I know it may sound silly, but research conducted at Boston University shows that it’s true. It’s called the “timescale bias,” and it refers to our tendency to attribute greater intelligence—based on mental attributes like consciousness, awareness, and intention—to people who do things at about the same speed as everyone else. If you want to look smarter, you need to stop dawdling, but you also need to stop scurrying around like some crazed robot.

Dress for success. This one should be no surprise. Extensive research shows that how you dress affects how people see you.

 

 

Intelligence (IQ) is fixed at an early age. You might not be able to change your IQ, but you can definitely alter the way people perceive you. When it comes to succeeding in the real world, perception is half the battle.

 

CMS Comments:

It seems that there is definitely more 'in the eye of the beholder' than we thought. 

 

 

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Source: rk@ralphkerle.com
Title: 'The Three Simple Elements of Innovation'
Authors: Dr. Ralph Kerle
Date: February 2013

Summary:

Miss any of these components and innovation is a waste of time and money.

The Strategic Innovation Plan
A deliberate statement about innovation and how it is to be implemented in your organization.

A Managed Innovation Process
The ideation and communications technology platform supporting and driving the idea focus and flow to produce innovation.

Organizational Development
The assessment and training of creative leaders at all levels in the organization to implement the innovation strategy.

 

CMS Comments:

It strikes the CMS team that all of these are equally important in the delivery of any strategy in today's climate.  Strategy often fails because the key leaders in the organisation themselves don't have the understanding or commitment to it.

 

 

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Source: McKinsey Journal
Title: Have you tested your strategy lately?
Authors: Chris Bradley, Martin Hirt and Sven Smit
Date: January 2011

Summary:
We are all so keen to look for strategy in new fads that the basic principles that make for good strategy get lost.  Strategy is fundamentally a way of thinking.  We need to engage with this rather than looking for answers that are external to our current success factors.  This article provides you with ten timeless tests that can help you kick the tires on your existing strategy, and kick up the level of strategic dialogue throughout your company.

The ten tests relate to the following areas:
1.    Will your strategy beat the market?
2.    Does your strategy tap a true source of advantage?
3.    Is your strategy granular about where to compete?
4.    Does your strategy put you ahead of trends?
5.    Does your strategy rest on privileged insights?
6.    Does your strategy embrace uncertainty?
7.    Does your strategy balance commitment and flexibility?
8.    Is your strategy contaminated by bias?
9.    Is there conviction to act on your strategy?
10.  Have you translated your strategy into an action plan?
 

 

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Source: TED
Title: Ideas worth spreading
Authors: Various
Date: December 2010

Ted has some very interesting and thought provoking information.
Current topical interesting items include:

 

Sheryl Sandberg the COO of Facebook giving her understanding of why women don’t make it to the top and she highlights 3 things that let them down in forging fulfilling careers

1.  Not sitting at the table – when the discussions are being had

2.  Not making your life partner a real partner – we can’t do it all unless we organise to do it all and that means getting your partner to share in the domestic situation

3.  Don’t leave until you leave – women often don’t promote their own careers because they are already planning what to do when they have children.