ConceptsNest

***Continued  from Part 01 Link to Part 01 ↘ Innovation: Brains Over Brawn Like any boxing match, the business landscape can be extremely unpredictable, requiring quick and effective reflexes that do not jeopardize the overall game plan. One minute, you are landing clients left and right; the next, you are up against a narrowing profit margin. The best executives are those who can swiftly adapt to harsh or changing conditions and pivot to creative solutions that are perfectly in line with management practices, brand messaging and core customer expectations. Like the most-revered boxers in history, ultimate respect, loyalty, and praise go to those leaders that can dodge and innovate under pressure , without abandoning familiarity or authenticity of style. ↘ Technique trumps brute strength. Boxing is all about technique. After all, they don’t call it the sweet science for nothing. The same is true in leadership. If we only rely on position and power to get things done, our ab

There are, times when we need a good metaphor to provide a mental frame to navigate the complex dynamics of leadership. Using boxing as a metaphor to understand, prepare and respond to situations can provide a greater level of clarity, and maybe even a little solace. Beyond the physical workout and the mental benefits of strenuous exercise, there are several lessons we can pick up from the sport of boxing. As in boxing, leadership is fraught with sudden surprises , some of which, if not anticipated, can deliver a hard blow . When negotiating, leaders must achieve a complex balance between the myriad interests of multiple parties. It’s a continuous give-and-take of compromise, shared values and, hopefully, win-win agreements. ↘ Master the fundamentals. In boxing, the four basic punches are the jab, straight, uppercut and hook. Every boxer will throw thousands and thousands of them in an attempt at mastery. After one -- or 100 -- matches, they know that to grow as fighters and

A Short Story- Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine: In 1952, polio killed more children than any other communicable disease. Nearly 58,000 people were infected. The situation was on the verge of becoming an epidemic and the country desperately needed a vaccine. In a small laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh, a young researcher named Jonas Salk was working tirelessly to find a cure. (Years later, author Dennis Denenberg would write, “Salk worked sixteen hours a day, seven days a week, for years.”). Despite all his effort, Salk was stuck. His quest for a polio vaccine was meeting a dead end at every turn. Eventually, he decided that he needed a break. Salk left the laboratory and retreated to the quiet hills of central Italy where he stayed at a 13th-century Franciscan monastery known as the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi. The basilica could not have been more different than the lab. The architecture was a beautiful combination of Romanesque and Gothic styles. White-was

What makes the Tiger such a great and fearsome creature? It is regarded as one of the most remarkable animals in the world, its appearance and majestic exoticness has made people curious about it. But what really makes the tiger tick? What are the things that makes the tiger such a great and fearsome creature? The tiger male waits for the female and cubs to eat first In the “dog eat dog” world of the animal kingdom, it is not often that you find this kind of behaviour for an animal who can beat a Lion, so called king of the beasts in a one on one fight yet who still recognizes the fact that  the weakest members of the family, the females and the cubs need to be taken care of first is worthy of note. The tiger is an object lesson in the fact that your worth is not how powerful you are as an individual but how much you are willing to help in lifting up those weaker than you . The interesting thing about show of responsibility is that it is not taught . Unlike most other cats, tig

During my time, I have played a variety of sports and games in my life. In that time, I had many different coaches (both professional and seniors) and I began to notice repeating patterns among them. Coaches tend to come up through a certain system. New coaches will often land their first job as an assistant coach with their alma mater or a team they played with previously. Or the coach is a senior who has been on top of the game for a while. After a few years, the coach will tend to replicate the same drills, follow similar practice schedules, and even yell at their players in a similar fashion as the coaches (or seniors) they learned from. People tend to emulate their mentors. This phenomenon— our tendencies to repeat the behaviour we are exposed to —extend to nearly everything we learn in life. Our political or religious beliefs are mostly the result of the system we were raised in. Although we may not agree on every issue, our parents political attitudes tend to shape our pol

Negotiation is an inherent part of influencing someone . In a work environment, it can be external negotiations, with a supplier or a client; or internal, with a boss, colleague or subordinate. But we must also negotiate with ourselves , be aware of instinctive reactions (psychological and physical) , in order to regulate them and respond consciously and appropriately to the circumstances so that we get the best result. All negotiations comprise two dimensions: The “substance,” meaning the subject matter or objective of the negotiation, and the “relationship,” i.e., the interaction or connection with the other person . We negotiate because we are looking to gain something or because the relationship with the other party is important. These two dimensions are always in play and under tension because the things we do to improve the substance—such as not making concessions—damage the relationship to a certain degree. Conversely, when we try to grow the relationship, decisions like be

The team meeting. A necessary evil, an exercise in wasting time, or our organization’s secret weapon? Sometimes we wonder why our one-on-one meetings tend to feel unfruitful. Stock questions might be effective once or twice. But when we ask them during every one-on-one, every week, and over time, the effectiveness of the questions erode. The person grows sick of answering the question. Or they do not think we really care to know the answer anymore. Before too long, they start looking at the clock, staring into the distance, and giving us those short, nondescript answers. To avoid this, we will want to avoid the routine questions we lean on. Some of them maybe: 01: “How’s it going?” It seems like a solid way to break the ice and initiate a one-on-one meeting. Yet it’s unusual that we ever get an answer other than “Fine” or “Good” in response. While someone might truly be fine and good in reality (which is great!)… the conversation usually stops there . Anything personal we wanted to