MAKE A VERY PROFITABLE AND FULFILLING CAREER IN FINANCE BY STAKING SKILLS STRATEGICALLY

Individual Contributor Success / Ruth Valverde A. / 22/01/2022

January 22, 2022

MAKE A VERY PROFITABLE AND FULFILLING CAREER IN FINANCE BY STAKING SKILLS STRATEGICALLY

Ruth Valverde A.

I recently saw a post by Leila Hormozi where she explained the difference between a 50K USD a year worker and a 100K a year employee.
A 50K USD employee requires a lot of supervision, help, guidance, correction, and instructions from their manager. In comparison, a 100K USD employee proactively searches for solutions and improvements. At the same time, they are investigating and studying on their own to provide excellence in their game.
One works alone, and the other requires a lot of time, effort, and babysitting from their manager.

She summarizes it in the following three factors:

1. Decision-making.

50K USD a year employees cannot make decisions on behalf of their manager. They need a lot of guidance as they lack confidence, expertise, and research skills to make data-driven decisions.

100K USD employees have the authority, expertise, skills, and network to make decisions on behalf of some of their leaders to speed up and improve their process.

2. Self-directed

A 100K USD employee knows how to utilize their time, direct and manage themselves.

A more junior team member requires a lot of guidance on structuring their day, focusing, prioritizing, etc.

3. Problem solvers

50K USD a year earners reach their manager for help each time they face a problem. They need support, guidance, and ideas to solve issues all day long. These more junior resources do not make good decisions and require tons of attention from their supervisor.

100K USD employees let their managers know on their touchpoints about problems they solved and took care for the leader to be aware of the latest news. These senior workers remove work from their managers and do not derail their manager’s focus from their role.

But, besides being able to work on your own, you must possess high valued skills to earn more from your active income.
A great example from Alex Hormozi:

Let’s imagine you like math.
Then, you decide to keep someone else books.
It has been profitable enough. Therefore you study and become a CPA.
Once there, you decide to learn about the tax code and tax strategies, which allow you to save thousands or millions to companies.
Then, you become an expert by decreasing liabilities with insurance to big corps.
Each talent becomes disproportionally more valuable than the last one.
Intelligent and strategic skills staking compounds with time!

Skill Stacking is an approach to learning that will help you become a better version of yourself. The objective of the process is to learn and master new skills and then combine them to make yourself more efficient or valuable.

Leadership Evolution Academy Tweet

Switch your mindset; realize you are 100% responsible for your active income.
Be accountable for the reality you live.
There are self-made millionaires and self-billionaires, but there are also self-50,000USD a year earners.

If you are not happy with your income level, it only means you must increase your value.

Improve your skills to become more valuable.
When you face a roadblock to achieving what you want, think about the skill you lack.
Instead of complaining about the conditions you face that stop you from achieving your desired result, identify the skills you need to conquer to move ahead to the next milestone.

For example, I realized I was awful at public speaking, which I needed to master to execute my job excellently.

Therefore, I started reading and practicing pitching, confidence tactics, and executive presence to level up my game.

It’s a long road, but instead of criticizing what it’s outside of your control, improve yourself and move to the next stage of your career.

Author: Ruth Valverde A.

When you face a roadblock to achieving what you want, think about the skill you lack. Instead of complaining about the conditions you face that stop you from achieving your desired result, identify the skills you need to conquer to move ahead to the next milestone.

Leadership Evolution Academy Tweet

Would you like to know what you need to work on to conquer your next professional level as a financial professional?

knowledge IS POWER!

Learn more!

WHY DO YOUR POOR COMMUNICATION SKILLS ARE STOPPING YOU FROM GETTING PROMOTED?

Individual Contributor Success / Ruth Valverde A. / 10/01/2022

WHY DO YOUR POOR COMMUNICATION SKILLS ARE STOPPING YOU FROM GETTING PROMOTED?

I was inspired by the book Pitch perfect by Bill McGowan and Alisa Bowman.

In the following paragraphs, I summarized the key lessons + my insights about them.

1. You have only one opportunity to deliver the right message in many situations.

Assertive communication is vital for your career and relations in general. One study found that the main obstacle to promotion is poor communication skills. These include offensive jokes, racist comments, cursing, avoiding eye contact, not turning your camera on at virtual discussions, getting nervous when public speaking, or not speaking at all at physical or online meetings.

Getting your message articulated clearly from the beginning will not only give you an excellent reputation but will also save you time and questions from your audience.

Please do not be hesitant to express your thoughts. Take this with a grain of salt. You want to express yourself coherently and adequately. Do not spit unorganized and interminable thoughts to answer in a rush. For example, when your boss asks you about your opinion on an improvement, they lead. You will lose a valuable opportunity to share your ideas and reveal how analytical and thoughtful you are if you answer poorly and do not share your views.

On the other hand, use the nature of people in your favor. No one likes to be told they are wrong or did a poor job. Frame your message correctly so the other person does not feel criticized but inspired by you.

Pitch-perfect communication is fundamental to getting the results you desire. Two-thirds of proposed ideas are rejected because they are expressed poorly. Not because they are bad ideas.

Nobody cares how you had the idea about whatever you are proposing. Please talk about the benefits, ROI, improvements, and resources needed to implement it.

2. Start with a concise, compelling statement to make listeners want to know more.

When you start a presentation, you only have 30 seconds to convince your audience to continue paying attention to you. Be excited and passionate about your idea, be funny and memorable to catch their focus. Spread your good vibe to hook them up.

If your tone of voice is off and you are not confident, you will lose them, and they will be checking their smartphones in a blink.

The author suggests here to avoid using agendas and start right away.

I disagree, though.

Agendas help respect everyone’s time and avoid unnecessary early questions from the audience that you will answer later on. I recommend providing a crisp and concise schedule. Do not reveal many details, just enough to make them want more.

Bonus: your tone of voice is vital to maximizing attention and building authority

This one is hard for me, as my tone of voice is very high, impacting my credibility.

A businesswoman, Elizabeth Holmes, scammed Silicon Valley’s angel investors, raising more than 700 million USD from them. How? she had a great pitch told in a deep voice, and she wore simple, casual, but neat clothes like Steve jobs.

Our brains automatically label(unwillingly) deep voices as more trustworthy.

3. Use visuals to illustrate your point and keep listeners hanging on to every detail.

Use animations to show new information and variables to create surprise and expectations for your audience.

4. For the audience to receive the message the way you want them to perceive it, intonation pauses and pitch pace is crucial.

To capture your colleagues, partners, or clients’ attention, you must analyze HOW you want to say things. You have several tools at your disposal; ensure you turn the camera on (if you are remote), so they can see your expression, hand gestures and manage the pace and pitch projection to create the desired effect.

5. Boil down your argument to its vital message to make it as rich and brief as possible.

Your audience will not receive your message if you take too long to reach your core statement. If you are of those, who talk a lot and do not get to the point fast, boil your argument until the message is rich and brief.

Nowadays, people’s attention span is so tiny! Provide digestible information on key pieces. That is why Twitter and TikTok are so successful. These platforms deliver a single, concise, and focused message in a blink. On the other hand, fewer people read blogs, books, or newspapers each time.

Ensure your speech is not longer than 18 minutes.

6. Think before you speak. Slow down and give yourself a couple of seconds to think when you are uncertain of your following sentence.

Some talk faster and for more extended periods -nonstop- when tense or nervous.

Give your brain time to structure your ideas and develop a good line of thought. This practice makes your thinking more focused and your arguments more persuasive and sharp, which will raise your confidence.

7. Use clothes that make you feel confident and maintain an excellent posture to increase self-confidence.

Standing up for a few minutes before an important conference, you will lead or stand while talking arise your confidence levels.

8. Increase people's favor by having genuine interest in them.

Know your audience—research about them. If you cannot ask questions to your listeners directly when starting your conference, google them or ask your network about them so you can strategize how to connect and make your topics relevant to them.

If you are pitching to someone that is very risk-averse, ensure to make an excellent risk assessment to mitigate any concern from their side. If you are proposing an idea to a technical expert, do your homework so you can pitch them in a language they will relate, understand and empathize with you.

9. Set a clear plan of what you will discuss and the conference's outcome.

Do not let the audience take over and move the conversation away from your goal.

Senior managers tend to over ask questions and move the conversation away from your objective. That is why your planning and research before the meeting are vital. You must think about all the possible fears and questions the audience will have so you can gracefully answer those and fastly move back to your plan.

10. Avoid being spontaneous. Instead, be prepared.

Being spontaneous is great, but not when public speaking, pitching, or influencing a demanding audience. If you want to succeed; convince your managers and affect your network; study the topics, research, anticipate concerns, and practice a lot to deliver a clear, convincing, and intelligent message.

11. Arrive earlier so you can chat with your audience casually to build trust and familiarity, check your visual aids work, and avoid any unnecessary stress due to delays.

Take a deep breath, enjoy the moment and speak with calm. If you start in a rush, your voice may get shaky, and your audience will perceive your lack of confidence which heavily impacts your credibility and executive presence.

12. Remember to be empathetic and avoid being inappropriate.

Some people, when nervous, say rude jokes, prepare ahead, so you do not be that person. Be empathetic and respectful with your audience.

If someone has a concern, step in their shoes and clarify their doubts with that empathetic perspective to build trust and partnership.

Good tips acrooss the book.

I am 100% certain that poor communication skills cost promotions and great jobs to talented and intelligent people. Humans are relational creatures; nourish your charisma and network by having impeccable pitching. It will be a game-changer—100% guaranteed.

Author: Ruth Valverde A.

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WE ALL HAVE UNFAIR ADVANTAGES. IDENTIFY YOURS AND LEVERAGE ON THEM.

Individual Contributor Success / Ruth Valverde A. / 02/01/2022

WE ALL HAVE UNFAIR ADVANTAGES. IDENTIFY YOURS AND LEVERAGE ON THEM.

Inspired on the books: The obstacles is the way from Ryan Holiday and the Unfair advantage from Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba.

The other day I saw a video from Abi Abdaal about the success formula:

HARD WORK + LUCK + UNFAIR ADVANTAGES = SUCESS

"Being a mom is my unfair advantage as I fully optimize my time due to the schedule my little one requires."

Ruth Valverde A. Tweet

UNFAIR ADVANTAGES

We all have unfair advantages. Knowing yours is vital to leverage them and exponentiate your career’s goals.

But, then, What is an unfair advantage?

Unique conditions that used strategically will help you excel your game

Imagine you and 100 other people have the goal to be a known and successful basketball player. And suppose you are the son of Michael Jordan.

You would have an unfair advantage; your father can teach you, mentor you and connect you with the right people. You would not only become the best in class but would network with the right circle to achieve your dream.

That is an undeniable example, but the remarkable thing about unfair advantages is that what society may classify as a drawback, it can play in your favor.

When we have everything, there is not much motivation to exceed ourselves. For example, if left on their own, the self-made millionaires’ children usually lack of outstanding creativity (unless their parents create an environment to challenge them). Vs. the children of middle or low-income households that are frequently pushed to be creative to generate income for their families well-being.

“Being a mom is my unfair advantage as I fully optimize my time due to the schedule my little one requires.”

Many people may say that being a mom is a disadvantage for your career as you have to choose what to prioritize (your family or your job). In my case, I am a working from home mother. My baby is almost 2, and I do not want to miss any of his great conquests or milestones accomplished. Plus, he demands a lot of my attention as any healthy toddler of his age.

However, since I am a mom, I am more productive. As my time is limited now, I do not waste as much time as before I was a momma.

I can confidently say that being a mom is an unfair advantage as I am more efficient now, and I can juggle so many things in my head at once and produce great results.

Another unfair advantage many of us have now, thanks to the pandemic, is that we can easily access remote work. Work from home allows us to gain more time to reinvest in our family, personal growth, side hustles, and use the geo arbitrage to maximize our resources.

Living in a third-world country with a cheaper living cost also allows me to offer very competitive prices to first-world clients.

Just be creative. With the correct strategy, many of the circumstances others may tag as impediments to thrive can be utilized as unfair advantages.

Find your unfair advantages and leverage them!

HARD WORK

To keep a hard work pace, you need to be motivated and passionate.

When you enjoy what you do, inherently, you will work hard.

When we love our job, our business, our mission, or feel a genuine interest in what we do, we will stand out from the crowd.

We are fully invested in it because it is our passion, not only the means to get income.

When everyone else is off partying or binging on Netflix, you will dedicate your time to study, research, and become a subject matter expert in your field.

LUCK

There is an essential part of the equation, luck.

If we are wise, have a great strategy to utilize our unfair advantages fully but have no luck, we will not get as far as we would with a little bit of star alignment in our favor.

Increase your luck by showing your work, connecting with people, making use of the internet; make yourself findable.

PIVOT CHALLENGES TO BENEFIT YOURSELF

Tackle challenges to your advantage and mold obstacles into gains.

We will face a lot of difficulties along our way. Be clever, and instead of playing the victim for your bad luck, grow from the experience and use it in your favor.

A couple of years ago, The recruiting team of a great company reached me to become part of their treasury department.

At that moment, I was too focused on my business. I wanted a low-level job to concentrate on my baby and business ideas. The recruiter, with great intentions, pitch me their company as the best company to work for moms. She told me its core values were to respect its employee’s family and personal time.

I took the job, and to my surprise, the job was the most demanding – intellectually- I have ever had.

To honor my commitment to the company, I had to leave many of my projects. On top, my time was incredibly constrained with a baby on its way.

The position was exciting and highly intellectually stimulating. Nevertheless, each time I tried to focus on my business ideas, I could not move at the required pace due to my new life as a mom and a very challenging job.

I realized I was not able to excel at everything at once. I decided to focus only on my job, learn the most from it, and use all the knowledge from this rich experience for business benefit down the line.

Embrace obstacles, learn from them, and think about how you can pivot the experience to use it in your favor.

Author: Ruth Valverde A.

Date

02.01.22

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WE ALL HAVE UNFAIR ADVANTAGES. IDENTIFY YOURS AND LEVERAGE ON THEM. Read More »

GET YOUR DREAM JOB WITH THESE INTERVIEW TIPS

Individual Contributor Success / Ruth Valverde A. / 26/12/2021

GET YOUR DREAM JOB WITH THESE INTERVIEW TIPS

I have been chasing the right talent for my finance team in the past weeks.

I want to give you tips on what managers from the corporate finance world look for and how to stand out and get your dream job.

Quality Finance hiring managers from great companies will look for three main things:

Your skills and experience to perform a great job.
Your motivation and how well you fit in the company’s culture to assure you will thrive and feel comfortable in the organization’s environment.
Your professional goals to ensure you will be a long-term player in their company and feel fulfilled in the job they are posting. Happy employees translate into excellent retention, passionate and dedicated employees.

TIPS TO GET YOUR DREAM JOB:

Have a very clear one-page CV.

1.1. Learn to sell yourself by making use of copywriting. Copywriting is one skill most people should learn. Although you are not in sales, the return this skill will give you compound with time.

1.2. Hiring managers and recruiters are screening CVs all day. Make their job easier by having one CV page with all that they care to know about you:

-> Your skills (how will your talent translate into something of value to the company you are applying to?)

-> Your experience and certificates or educational background.

->Recognitions, articles, website, portfolio, achievements or highlights in your career.

Bonus tip: Great templates for resumes at novoresume.com

RESUME EXAMPLE

2. Show them you are a motivated player. Demonstrate you want the job and be part of the company. How?

Please read the latest news about the company, its website, financials, 10-K, etc. DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

It is a game-changer to show at an interview knowing about its primary services, values, and financial health. Prepare yourself by learning about the company you want to work for. How much debt does the company have? Free cash flow per quarter, share price and fluctuations, leading competitors, company’s goals, vision, and mission, etc.

3. Study the position you are applying for. Study about the role. Deep dive about the key concepts they are mentioning. The hiring manager will hire someone aware of all those critical concepts with an understanding of the position’s basics.

4. Enjoy the interviews! The stage is yours, it’s your time to shine and be authentic. Learn from the experience and connect with the interviewers to grow your network.

Never stop accumulating skills, mastering them, and improving yourself.

Author: Ruth Valverde A.

GET YOUR DREAM JOB WITH THESE INTERVIEW TIPS Read More »

THE WORK-LIFE BALANCE TRAP

Individual Contributor Success / Ruth Valverde A. / 20/12/2021

THE WORK-LIFE BALANCE TRAP

Work-life harmony

There are a lot of articles, movements, and opinions about the importance of this concept of “work-life balance.”

I often read and hear comments through forums at my company about dealing with burnout, having more balance, etc.

However, the concept has become kind of strange to me lately. Work and life are one of the same. The reason why humans find meaning have motivation and fulfillment is thanks to work.

Humans find meaning in the challenges we face every day to achieve our milestones. The truth is that the route to get to our destination is what we genuinely enjoy. Loving the present moment is the purpose.

I am a massive fan of working from home. Many companies do not allow you to move wherever you want to live, close to the beach or country of your dreams. Nevertheless, I save so much time from what used to be the accepted routine; getting ready, leaving my child into daycare, commuting to work, and repeating everything backward to get back home. I am forever grateful for that time I have gained to reinvest in my family and me.

Being able to work from home, connect with my team, be productive, effectively communicate and grow my company from the comfort of my house without having to commute anywhere is the best gift technology has given me. I have never felt more balanced before. If I have an inspiring idea, I get online and work on it. If I feel like I need a break, I go and play with my baby for a while. I have my world in one integrated space to be myself—my work and passions, intellectual challenges, and family, all together in harmony, without having to waste timeless hours in traffic.

The fact that you are at home also means that more time than not, your children demand and reasonably need your attention during “important work hours.” Therefore, you have to creatively accommodate both aspects of your life not to get crazy. Nevertheless, my preference is to work from home and be closer to my child. I am fortunate as I have a caring husband who works from home. We can take turns with the care of our baby, plus my little boy has very helpful and sweet grandmas that love to help mommy and daddy whenever they can.

Work and life cannot exist without each other. Humans need something to do to feel part of this giant community.

Working from home opens a door of flexibility and efficiency like never before. If we want to do exercise at noon, we can arrange our schedules. If we feel like taking a break and going for a walk or playing with our children for a while, we can do it!

Working from home allows us to be more connected with ourselves, family, and work in the best possible way.

THE INFINITE ACCEPTED CYCLE OF INSATISFACTION

People get confused thinking that fulfillment will come when they get to 1 million USD in profit per quarter, get their next promotion, buy their dream home, retire at 30 years old with infinite money at their disposal.

But, when they get there, to whatever their idealized destination is, they soon realize humans are made to work—fulfillment is to serve, to create to do. Working, building, and following our passions is what makes us fulfilled.

Many people who feel “imbalance,” burnout, and exhausted have a job they hate. Consequently, that imbalance feeling comes from demotivation. We all feel tired of working when we are too dedicated to a particular “problem,” and the stress arises each time more and more. Even the most passionate people need a break to clear their minds and spirits.

However, sadly, it is common to know people who do what they do automatically, following the path they were bought in as the path they must follow. These individuals consider their BIG passions like nothing more than dreams they will never act on to conquer.

Having a job you love and are passionate about is the most significant competitive advantage you can have. When others are resting or thinking in their genuine devotions, you will be happily learning, studying, and planning new strategies to improve whatever your business is.

We all have the same 24 hours a day. But, where our focus is, is what makes us achieve faster or slower results.

The fire that only passion ignites is what will make you stand out from the rest and make you one of the best.

A person that is happily, excitedly obsessed with what they do because their job is their calling is a person that does not consider their job as an impediment to life. For them, to live is to work. To work is to live.

There is no one size fits all approach when we talk about how many hours a week we should dedicate to work. It can be 4 hours a week for some; for others, 65. It depends on how excited and addictive to you is what you are dedicating your time and energy on.

Be mindful of others’ dreams, support their passions and goals. If someone loves to work on weekends, holidays, and regular workdays because they love what they do, respect their hard work, focus, and be happy for them.

Find your rhythm, create your reality, and most importantly, be present, and enjoy the ride. The ride is what matters, not the destination.

Author: Ruth Valverde A.

Date

20.12.21

UNDERSTANDING THE HIERARCHICAL NIGHTMARE OF THE CORPORATE WORLD

Individual Contributor Success / Ruth Valverde A. / 12/12/2021

I have always felt very uncomfortable in hierarchical organizations. I started my corporate career eight years ago at a bank. Since then, it has always been hard for me to understand why people are intimidated by other humans with senior titles within their corporation.

They are only another human with a job like you. If they get fired tomorrow or quit to pursue their dream of becoming a relaxed taxi driver, will you see them differently?

People fear or respect the title these people hold, not the person itself.

If we see another human on the street with arrogant and petulant manners, we dislike them and do not hide our impression from them.

However, suppose a senior leader within our organization makes us feel uncomfortable due to unpolite manners and prepotent attitude or simply because of the inherent status of their title. In that case, we get nervous and bend in front of them.

It makes me feel deeply uncomfortable to see how intimated and nervous people get when they talk with a senior leader. Nevertheless, I have been a victim of this low self-esteem a few times. Most of the time, due to other colleagues’ pressure.

Leading an utterly regular meeting to explain something or inform a senior leader is usual business. However, more times than not, my coworkers and organization put so much attention into what we would say to the senior managers to avoid hard questions.

It generates fear within the group to talk with leaders above the ladder. Fear of being judged, being humiliated, and being labeled as incompetent.

I have always hated it because I did not get the reason for this behavior. I did not understand why we couldn’t freely talk to the TOP leaders of the org.

We all have the same goal of succeeding as one, don’t we?.

More people like me detest this excessive endorsement to senior leaders and the hierarchical organization’s intimidation. There is also another group of people who are used to this environment, and it does not bother them. A third group feels very scared and intimated when talking with these leaders.

But, a fourth kind understands the reason for this requirement of creating carefully-thought communication when directing to these senior leaders.

Those senior leaders decide where the company is heading, how to grow it, what direction to take to become the best in class, etc.

Their attention is crucial for the company’s triumph. The messages they finally received have to be well-thought, analyzed, and on point.

We do not want them to get preoccupied solving minor things or confused with poor communication that distracts them from their job number 1 (leading the company or workgroup to success).

If the CEO or any other senior leader of a medium or enormous company were easy to access for anyone and the focus demanded by their roles were not respected, they would be deserving the company.

We all have the same 24 hours a day. The critical point is where our focus is?

TOP leaders cannot be distracted with tons of messages and meetings; they must follow a strict schedule and focus on their role: strategize to grow the company.

That is why people feel intimated by the role, not the person itself. Tomorrow, if those senior leaders get fired or quit, people will still respect the new person leading the company to success.

The same applies to you as an individual contributor or not such a senior leader within the group.

Pay attention to where your attention is. Ensure your focus is on your JOB number one, whatever it is. Ask people (politely) to respect your time so you can succeed in your role and be the crucial piece of the puzzle you are hired to be.

Tips:

Start feeling comfortable rejecting meetings you do not need to attend. Either because your job demands your focus to be somewhere else at the moment. Or, you won’t be able to provide any value to the meeting as the topic is outside your scope.
When chatting with a stakeholder or colleague, send your ask in the first message and ask them politely to do the same. Forget about unnecessary formalities. Excellent page about this here: https://nohello.net/
Leave your cell phone in another room. We are lazy. It will be harder for you to stand up to bring your phone to scroll over your addictive social media mindlessly.
PRIORITIZE. Focus on the TOP issues you need to resolve and or coordinate.
Send well-thought emails, anticipating the common questions your stakeholders or clients may ask you to deliver the message you need to communicate clearly.

Remember, the focus is more important than time.

Your attention is queen.

Author Ruth Valverde A.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND DESIGN PSYCHOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS TO YOUR PROBLEMS

Individual Contributor Success, Managers Growth / Ruth Valverde A. / 05/12/2021

Psychological Solutions in the workplace

Challenge the status quo and work on your creativity muscle.

By Ruth Valverde A.

A few weeks ago, I learned about this solution-seeking method when I read the best book about Creating unique and irresistible Products; $100M Offers by Alex Hormozi.

When we face an issue that’s pulling our attention, we tend to think logically to resolve the problem.
But the analytical solutions have, usually, been already tried because they’re logical (it’s what everyone would try and do).

The book’s author, Alex Hormozi, has a remarkable entrepreneurial career. He has created a gym empire and other profitable businesses that have generated $100M in revenue in 3 years. Alex encourages the readers to approach problems by finding psychological solutions rather than logical ones.

The problems we often face would have already been solved if there were a practical, easy-to-implement, logical solution to eliminate the pain within our budget. Therefore, we must exercise our analytical capabilities to overcome roadblocks through clever psychological solutions.

Here are a couple of examples of logical vs. psychological solutions.

SLOW ELEVATOR IN YOUR BUILDING.

Let’s say you own an old but well-maintained office or apartment building.
However, the elevator is working perfectly, but it is too slow already compared to the newest buildings in the neighborhood.
The logical solution would be to remove the old elevator and install a new one with the latest technology. Nevertheless, the cost of this change is too high for you to afford.
What could be a psychological solution?

Add mirrors in the elevator’s inner cabin walls, so people get distracted staring at themselves and forget how long they were on the elevator.

OLD LONDON SUBWAY.

A few years ago, the government of the UK faced a crucial dilemma. Their old but well-maintained subway was getting behind in speed terms compared to the subways in other similar nations.
The logical solution was to replace the old subway with a brand new, super-fast subway. However, this change implied tons of millions of pounds from the taxpayers.
What did they do instead?

They added dynamic screens with the routes into the subways cabins that indicate to the passengers where they were at the present moment and how long is left to arrive at the next stop.

This straightforward and cheaper solution lets users know when they will arrive at their destination. These informative screens eliminate the interminable anxiety of waiting without a clear expectation of how much time they must wait.

CHANNEL AND LOUIS VUITTON BAGS.

When business owners create gorgeous, quality products that do not generate enough sales, they think logically and lower the price to attract more buyers.
However, this will only disrepute their product. Having low prices will not make your business grow long term, nor will it provide you the means to improve quality and service to your customers. It is, in fact, detrimental to your brand.

The psychological solution could be to make fewer products and raise the prices to use the singularity factor in your favor.

The author tells a nice anecdote about this one. They made a study; where they offered tasters three types of wines. One bottle of wine had a low label price and a simple design. The second one had a median price and a more complex bottle design. The third one had a lovely bottle design and a very pricey label. The results? The tasters said the most expensive bottle was the most delicious and delicate of the three. However, in reality, the wine of the three bottles was the same.

When we see something pricey, we assume it must be due to superior quality.

You can play with this bias in your favor by pricing yourself above your competition, and obviously, ensuring you are offering a one-of-a-kind service or product. Unknown brands make something similar to attract customers. They add 1 or 2 extra years in their guarantee than the average quality brand names to attract buyers to their products. Most people naturally try and solve problems using logical solutions. But the analytical solutions have usually been tried…because they’re logical (it’s what everyone would try and do).

As a valuable employee, business owner, and entrepreneur, I increasingly approach problems to find psychological solutions rather than logical ones. Because if there were a logical solution, it probably would have already been solved, thereby eliminating the pain. What means; all that’s left are the psychological solutions, most people do not focus on.

By Ruth Valverde A.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND DESIGN PSYCHOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS TO YOUR PROBLEMS Read More »

TIPS TO INFLUENCE YOUR EMPLOYEES AND GAIN YOUR WORKPLACE NETWORK’S TRUST.

5 Comments / Individual Contributor Success, Managers Growth / Ruth Valverde A. / 21/11/2021

FROM THE FAMOUS AND TIMELESS BOOK: HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE BY DALE CARNEGIE.

A few years ago, a friend recommended the timeless book: how to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.

I ignorantly thought, why would I want to spend time reading a book about making friends… As always, very antisocial… But the worst part … Terribly short-sighted.

The book kept appearing from mentors and people I admire as one of the top books to read. So, I give it a try…

The value this book gives is simply priceless. After reading it about five times already, I have synthesized the top vital takeaways to improve your network and connections in the workplace.

Relations and people move this world.

You must influence people and make them excited to collaborate/ partner with you to achieve your goals.

<br />

LESSON 1; TO INFLUENCE YOUR TEAM TO GO IN THE DIRECTION YOU NEED TO LEAD THEM TO BECOME THE DREAM TEAM YOU ARE ENVISIONING, PRAISE THEM.

To praise is always more effective than to criticize. When we are criticized, we turn defensive. We tend to take it personally when others say we are doing something wrong. Our instinct is to justify our behavior. People indeed need to be urged to change their ways from time to time. But if we cannot help them by criticizing them, what effective options do we have? Everyone wants to feel valued and essential, and a few words of appreciation can get you closer to your desired result than any amount of criticisms and complaints.

LESSON 2; PEOPLE LOVE TO FEEL INTERESTING, VALUABLE, AND IMPORTANT. MAKE YOUR EMPLOYEES, CLIENTS, AND PARTNERS FEEL THAT WAY.

Sincerely demonstrate you care about whatever people are sharing. It could be a project, a problem they face to achieve their goals or plans for the weekend. People who genuinely show others they care about their opinions and value their perspectives often realize people are happily willing to collaborate.

LESSON 3; INVITE OTHERS TO TALK AND PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY HAVE TO SHARE.

Finding an active listener is very rare. We are all so absorbed in our minds, problems, and selfish thoughts that we constantly fight to shine and make sure we are right.

Be humble, listen to what the other person has to say. Ask open-ended questions to encourage others to talk.

Good, active listeners are always highly appreciated by the rest, and it exhibits humbleness, openness, and a calm vibe.

Listen carefully and actively to others to gain their respect, trust, and loyalty.

LESSON 4; ALWAYS STRIVE TO REACH A MID-GROUND. IF IT IS NOT POSSIBLE, THEN GENTLY DISAGREE.

Showing others they are wrong through clever conclusions, facts, and on-point calculations may lead them to resent you. When disagreements become full-blown debates, no one wins. If you can, it’s best to avoid them altogether. But sometimes, an argument is inevitable, so if you find yourself in a situation where you have to state your case, there are a few tips worth keeping in mind.

If you want to convince someone that what you’re saying is true, never say the words, “You’re wrong.” Making your case so harshly won’t bring your opponent around to your way of thinking. Instead, they’ll take offense, double down on their convictions, and try their best to prove you wrong.
A subtle and gentle approach is far more likely to be effective. Rather than trying to prove your case by force, try to lead your opponent to your conclusions in a spirit of friendly inquiry.
Try saying something like: Well, you know, I could be wrong. Let’s look at the facts. This tactic is often enough to disarm a stubborn opponent.
If you do turn out to be wrong, be gracious in defeat, and try to be the first to admit your mistake. Owning up to your errors preemptively often makes others take a softer tack.
On the flip side, if you turn out to be correct, don’t rejoice. Your opponent is unlikely to adopt a new opinion if you make it feel like

LESSON 5; A FAR BETTER APPROACH THAN DEALING WITH OPPOSING ARGUMENTS IS TO GET OTHERS TO AGREE WITH YOU FROM THE START AND THEN SMOOTHLY LEAD THEM TO YOUR CONCLUSIONS.

Inspired by Socrates’s approach, first, begin your conversations by making assertions everyone can agree with. Then, bit by bit, shift the conversations into more dubious territory. By foregrounding the points everyone could agree on, you can make your audience more likely to accept the following contentious arguments.

We humans typically become emotionally invested in defending opinions we’ve already declared publicly. We tend to take our reputation quite seriously as social creatures.

For the same reason, we prefer ideas that we come up with ourselves to others.

Be aware of this, and take this knowledge to your advantage.

SPOILER ALERT! The other day, I was watching a movie on Netflix; The King with Timothee Chalamet. The king’s counselors used a similar approach. They arrange a few successes to lead him to believe (or manipulate him) in the conclusions they wanted him to arrive by his own.

Side note: Use this technique with good intentions to influence positively.

LESSON 5; A FAR BETTER APPROACH THAN DEALING WITH OPPOSING ARGUMENTS IS TO GET OTHERS TO AGREE WITH YOU FROM THE START AND THEN SMOOTHLY LEAD THEM TO YOUR CONCLUSIONS.

Inspired by Socrates’s approach, first, begin your conversations by making assertions everyone can agree with. Then, bit by bit, shift the conversations into more dubious territory. By foregrounding the points everyone could agree on, you can make your audience more likely to accept the following contentious arguments.

We humans typically become emotionally invested in defending opinions we’ve already declared publicly. We tend to take our reputation quite seriously as social creatures.

For the same reason, we prefer ideas that we come up with ourselves to others.

Be aware of this, and take this knowledge to your advantage.

SPOILER ALERT! The other day, I was watching a movie on Netflix; The King with Timothy Chalamet. The king’s counselors used a similar approach. They arrange a few successes to lead him to believe (or manipulate him) in the conclusions they wanted him to arrive by his own.

Side note: Use this technique with good intentions to influence positively.

LESSON 6; BE EMPATHETIC AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND OTHER PEOPLE’S VIEWPOINTS.

Keep an open mind. Please make an effort to understand other people’s reasoning. It will give you a broader perspective, and people will enjoy working with you.

An aggrieved coworker or upset manager only needs to hear the words: I completely understand where you’re coming from. In your situation, I’d feel the same.

Sympathizing with others doesn’t just make them feel good – it can also help you manage frustration and impatience. By understanding the factors that make people act as they do, you can become more tolerant of behaviors that once irritated and upset you.

The next time someone’s behavior upsets you, pause for a minute and try to see things from the other person’s point of view. Why might your colleague be slacking off? Is there anything kind of understanding you could do to help him get back on track?

LESSON 7; SET THE BAR HIGH, AND PEOPLE WILL STRIVE TO MEET IT.

We, humans, love to feel loved, respected, and essential. We hate to disappoint people who believe in us. When we commend someone’s reputation, we can use both these facts: our admiring words reward them for what they’ve already done and set a high benchmark for future performance.

In other words, if you want someone to develop a specific characteristic, speak of them as though they already possess it. If you’d like your employee to be more analytical, praise them for analyzing the problems they face at work. Set up an aspirational reputation for them as analytical and brilliant people.

Thank you for reading this article.

If you like it, please share it with a colleague or friend that may find it helpful.

Author: Ruth Valverde A.

Date

21.11.21

Individual Contributor Success

MAKE A VERY PROFITABLE AND FULFILLING CAREER IN FINANCE BY STAKING SKILLS STRATEGICALLY

Ruth Valverde A.

She summarizes it in the following three factors:

1. Decision-making.

50K USD a year employees cannot make decisions on behalf of their manager. They need a lot of guidance as they lack confidence, expertise, and research skills to make data-driven decisions.

100K USD employees have the authority, expertise, skills, and network to make decisions on behalf of some of their leaders to speed up and improve their process.

2. Self-directed

A 100K USD employee knows how to utilize their time, direct and manage themselves.

A more junior team member requires a lot of guidance on structuring their day, focusing, prioritizing, etc.

3. Problem solvers

50K USD a year earners reach their manager for help each time they face a problem. They need support, guidance, and ideas to solve issues all day long. These more junior resources do not make good decisions and require tons of attention from their supervisor.

100K USD employees let their managers know on their touchpoints about problems they solved and took care for the leader to be aware of the latest news. These senior workers remove work from their managers and do not derail their manager’s focus from their role.

But, besides being able to work on your own, you must possess high valued skills to earn more from your active income.A great example from Alex Hormozi:

Switch your mindset; realize you are 100% responsible for your active income.Be accountable for the reality you live.There are self-made millionaires and self-billionaires, but there are also self-50,000USD a year earners.

If you are not happy with your income level, it only means you must increase your value.

For example, I realized I was awful at public speaking, which I needed to master to execute my job excellently.

Therefore, I started reading and practicing pitching, confidence tactics, and executive presence to level up my game.

It’s a long road, but instead of criticizing what it’s outside of your control, improve yourself and move to the next stage of your career.

Author: Ruth Valverde A.

Would you like to know what you need to work on to conquer your next professional level as a financial professional?

Learn more!

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WHY DO YOUR POOR COMMUNICATION SKILLS ARE STOPPING YOU FROM GETTING PROMOTED?

1. You have only one opportunity to deliver the right message in many situations.

2. Start with a concise, compelling statement to make listeners want to know more.

Bonus: your tone of voice is vital to maximizing attention and building authority

3. Use visuals to illustrate your point and keep listeners hanging on to every detail.

4. For the audience to receive the message the way you want them to perceive it, intonation pauses and pitch pace is crucial.

5. Boil down your argument to its vital message to make it as rich and brief as possible.

6. Think before you speak. Slow down and give yourself a couple of seconds to think when you are uncertain of your following sentence.

7. Use clothes that make you feel confident and maintain an excellent posture to increase self-confidence.

8. Increase people's favor by having genuine interest in them.

9. Set a clear plan of what you will discuss and the conference's outcome.

10. Avoid being spontaneous. Instead, be prepared.

11. Arrive earlier so you can chat with your audience casually to build trust and familiarity, check your visual aids work, and avoid any unnecessary stress due to delays.

12. Remember to be empathetic and avoid being inappropriate.

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UNFAIR ADVANTAGES

HARD WORK

LUCK

PIVOT CHALLENGES TO BENEFIT YOURSELF

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GET YOUR DREAM JOB WITH THESE INTERVIEW TIPS

TIPS TO GET YOUR DREAM JOB:

RESUME EXAMPLE

Work-life harmony

There are a lot of articles, movements, and opinions about the importance of this concept of “work-life balance.”

I often read and hear comments through forums at my company about dealing with burnout, having more balance, etc.

However, the concept has become kind of strange to me lately. Work and life are one of the same. The reason why humans find meaning have motivation and fulfillment is thanks to work.

Humans find meaning in the challenges we face every day to achieve our milestones. The truth is that the route to get to our destination is what we genuinely enjoy. Loving the present moment is the purpose.

Work and life cannot exist without each other. Humans need something to do to feel part of this giant community.

Working from home opens a door of flexibility and efficiency like never before. If we want to do exercise at noon, we can arrange our schedules. If we feel like taking a break and going for a walk or playing with our children for a while, we can do it!

Working from home allows us to be more connected with ourselves, family, and work in the best possible way.

THE INFINITE ACCEPTED CYCLE OF INSATISFACTION

People get confused thinking that fulfillment will come when they get to 1 million USD in profit per quarter, get their next promotion, buy their dream home, retire at 30 years old with infinite money at their disposal.

But, when they get there, to whatever their idealized destination is, they soon realize humans are made to work—fulfillment is to serve, to create to do. Working, building, and following our passions is what makes us fulfilled.

However, sadly, it is common to know people who do what they do automatically, following the path they were bought in as the path they must follow. These individuals consider their BIG passions like nothing more than dreams they will never act on to conquer.

Having a job you love and are passionate about is the most significant competitive advantage you can have. When others are resting or thinking in their genuine devotions, you will be happily learning, studying, and planning new strategies to improve whatever your business is.

We all have the same 24 hours a day. But, where our focus is, is what makes us achieve faster or slower results.

The fire that only passion ignites is what will make you stand out from the rest and make you one of the best.

A person that is happily, excitedly obsessed with what they do because their job is their calling is a person that does not consider their job as an impediment to life. For them, to live is to work. To work is to live.

There is no one size fits all approach when we talk about how many hours a week we should dedicate to work. It can be 4 hours a week for some; for others, 65. It depends on how excited and addictive to you is what you are dedicating your time and energy on.

Be mindful of others’ dreams, support their passions and goals. If someone loves to work on weekends, holidays, and regular workdays because they love what they do, respect their hard work, focus, and be happy for them.

Find your rhythm, create your reality, and most importantly, be present, and enjoy the ride. The ride is what matters, not the destination.

Author: Ruth Valverde A.

Date

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FROM THE FAMOUS AND TIMELESS BOOK: HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE BY DALE CARNEGIE.

A few years ago, a friend recommended the timeless book: how to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie.

I ignorantly thought, why would I want to spend time reading a book about making friends… As always, very antisocial… But the worst part … Terribly short-sighted.

The book kept appearing from mentors and people I admire as one of the top books to read. So, I give it a try…

The value this book gives is simply priceless. After reading it about five times already, I have synthesized the top vital takeaways to improve your network and connections in the workplace.

But, besides being able to work on your own, you must possess high valued skills to earn more from your active income.
A great example from Alex Hormozi:

Switch your mindset; realize you are 100% responsible for your active income.
Be accountable for the reality you live.
There are self-made millionaires and self-billionaires, but there are also self-50,000USD a year earners.

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