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About Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy
Author Amy Cuddy came to the world’s attention in 2012, when her TED Talk on body language garnered over 27 million views online. Cuddy is a social psychologist and teaches business administration at Harvard Business School. In her new book, Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges, Cuddy explains that presence “is the state of feeling connected with our own thoughts, values, abilities, and emotions, so that we can better connect with the thoughts, values, abilities, and emotions of others.”
Presence is a powerful guide that teaches us how to identify and work in harmony with our true selves in order to make a bigger impact on the world.
Why Cydcor Recommends This Book
We recommend this book because Cuddy encourages us to embrace our personal qualities and abilities and let them manifest in the world around us. Presence empowers the reader to become an authentic, yet commanding, force in the world. You will learn how to command respect from your colleagues and inspire them to do and be more. You will also discover how to release any anxiety when facing challenges, and gain clarity and poise.
Our Favorite Part
In this book, Cuddy teaches us to activate our presence and consciously inhabit our bodies through power posing. She cites tests between two different groups, and talks about the results of enacting two sets of poses. She mentions how after only two minutes, the group of posers assigned with physically expanding themselves showed elevated levels of testosterone. They also showed decreased levels of cortisol, which has been linked to increased levels of stress.
We particularly liked Cuddy’s reminder to pay attention to our presence and her warning not to take anything for granted:
“Taking control of your body language is not just about posing in a powerful way. It’s also about the fact that we pose in a powerless way much more often than we think—and we need to change that.”
Have you used power-posing to improve your presence at work? We want to know the power poses that worked for you. Share your experience on Twitter and follow us @Cydcor.
We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.
Great meetings can help us feel excited about work, but bad meetings can do just the opposite. These innovative meeting strategies will empower you to make the most of your meetings – something that will be good for not just you, but your team members as well.
Schedule Meaningful Meetings
The simplest strategy for turning a bad meeting into a good one is to set a meeting purpose and a leader. Bad meetings are almost always due to a lack of direction, goals, focus, or a sense of efficiency. If you are in charge of a meeting, prepare an agenda that you can send out to attendees ahead of time along with any materials you’ll be reviewing. Take 15-30 minutes before the meeting to review meeting goals and specific points you plan to bring up.
Change Your Attitude
Even if you aren’t running the meeting, you can still help improve it by staying organized and being actively engaged. Before the meeting occurs, make sure you can answer the following questions:
Prepare yourself beforehand to ensure you understand the purpose of the meeting and how you are expected to participate. Touch base with coworkers and find out what they will present. If you have relevant questions or concerns, write them down so that you will be ready to bring them up during the meeting. Arrive a few minutes early to greet the leader and review the agenda. Finally, always take detailed notes of what was discussed, especially as it relates to deliverables and deadlines.
Write a Meeting Summary
Once the meeting ends, don’t simply dive back into your work or head out for lunch. Sit down for a few minutes and think about the meeting: Review your notes, highlight the most important issues discussed and their outcomes, and take note of next steps and deliverables. Set reminders to follow up on items if necessary; don’t fall into the trap of taking great notes and never looking at them again.
If you take the time to prepare for meetings and approach them with a positive attitude, you will be able to make each meeting a productive part of your day and a positive influence on your career.
Getting more out of meetings requires a positive attitude and creative strategies. How do you get the most out of your meetings? Share with us on Twitter and follow us @Cydcor.
We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.
About Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
What makes high achievers different from you or me? Malcolm Gladwell answers that question with his book, Outliers. Many overachievers believe in one of the core concepts in the book: the “10,000-hour rule.” Gladwell suggests that to be the best at something, you need to study it for 10,000 hours. In this book, he finds the outliers—men and women who do things that are out of the ordinary.
Outliers is a good read because of Gladwell’s fascination with psychology, law, statistics, and sociology. His colorful writing provides a powerful and personal analysis of why some people become outliers and some don’t. Despite its quirky characters and lofty critiques, you’ll find echoes of your life in his writing.
Like Gladwell, at Cydcor, we encourage our employees and sales associates to set challenging goals that inspire achievement. We provide determined individuals opportunities to excel, work hard, and build successful careers.
Why Cydcor Reviews Recommends This Book:
Gladwell worked as a journalist at the Washington Post and as a writer for the New Yorker magazine. Instead of writing simple biographies of successful people, he investigates the communities where these exceptional people developed. He also examines the cultures that influenced them during their formative years and up to today.
Gladwell is passionate about social sciences and statistics. This interest led him to figure out why Canada’s star hockey players are consistently born in January, February, and March. But Gladwell isn’t just revealing cold facts and figures. He uses the book to examine his own life as an outlier.
Cydcor recommends this book because the author provides profoundly inspirational insights into how ordinary men and women achieve greatness. Gladwell suggests that everyone who is exceptional at something—like sales—has practiced for about 10,000 hours. Gladwell’s theory endorses Cydcor’s belief that professional achievement, recognition, and advancement is available for anyone who works hard and pursues each opportunity they find.
Our Favorite Part
Our favorite part of Outliers is Gladwell’s talent for revealing the unique twists and turns that influence someone’s life. For example, when Bill Gates was in the eighth grade, the mothers’ group at his school used the proceeds of their annual bake sale to purchase a personal computer for the students.
No software was available for the computer, so Gates learned how to program it by punching holes into computer cards—a very outdated practice today. After many hours of hard work, he got the computer to work. By the time he was a sophomore in high school, Gates had exhausted his school’s computer resources and sought further instruction at the University of Washington, where he met his future business partner, Paul Allen. Gates certainly had a gift for computing, but ultimately his achievements were powered by his 10,000 hours of hard work.
If we follow Gates’ example, if we pay attention and begin to see obstacles as opportunities, we will improve our chances for success.
As you read this book, you may remember the lessons you learned from teachers and mentors who taught you how to overcome obstacles. This book reminds us that the opportunity to succeed is always present; you just need to have a positive outlook and the determination to meet each challenge. You may not become a billionaire after reading Outliers, but your personal and professional life will become rich with possibility.
Who are the outliers that influenced your career path? Let us know about the men and women who inspire you to succeed. Share your ideas on Twitter and follow us @Cydcor.
We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.
Think about how many interactions with other people you have each day: ordering your coffee, chatting with a stranger over lunch, or meeting people on a bus on your way back home. Each interaction represents an opportunity to turn a stranger into a customer. At Cydcor, we believe that networking is crucial for finding new contacts. Here are some tips for turning connections into customers.
Refine and Memorize Your Elevator Pitch
The function of an elevator pitch is to communicate what you do to someone else. If someone can’t understand your business, they won’t be able to see the value it could provide. Your story should be conversational and convey your work briefly.
Work the Contacts You Already Have
You know more people than just those you interact with every day: think on all of your friends and their friends, former coworkers, family members, and past clients. Connect with as many people as you can to get your name out there. Network with “People You May Know” on LinkedIn, fellow alumni, or get to know people who have the same creative outlet as you.
Determine Who Will Make a Good Connection
A good contact is someone who would find value in working with you and seems genuinely interested in what you do. People should be comfortable with you before you give them your pitch. If they like you, they’re more likely to want to learn more about you and about your business.
Follow up With Potential Customers
Put potential customers’ information in your contacts list as soon as you get a chance. Send them an email to follow up if they’ve expressed interest in working with you, or even if you just want to say how great it was to meet them.
Market Yourself Online
Compose smartly crafted newsletters and keep a valuable blog up to date with fresh, new content. The more people who subscribe to your platforms and pay attention to your company, the better. Also leverage the power of social media. More and more people these days use social media to learn about a topic or a business. Social media can help you reach people you normally wouldn’t interact with on a daily basis. So, take advantage of the many networking sites available online.
Be Mindful of Your Potential Client’s Needs
Once you have made a first impression on a new contact do not overstay your welcome if you notice they are busy or rushed. Offer a friendly good-bye after you’ve exchanged contact information, and then be on your way. Don’t flood them with too much information. Be aware of the queues your contacts give you such as time constraints. You will be better off leaving your contacts wanting to know more about what you have to offer at a later time rather than forcing a conversation when is not the right time.
So, tell us, do you use casual conversations to discover new customers? what techniques do you use to find new customers in creative ways? Post your story on Twitter and follow us @Cydcor.
We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.
Professional development is a process that improves your job skills through ongoing education and training. As you study and as your skills improve, you will have greater mastery over your assignments. Cydcor encourages investing in professional growth for our employees and sales associates. Your confidence will grow and you will become a better and more valuable employee.
Download a podcast application to your phone to make it easier to find, subscribe, and listen to your podcasts. Several podcast apps are available for iPhones and Androids. Imagine having an entire professional development library on your phone! Here are some of our favorite podcasts for professional development:
Todd Henry has spoken to tens of thousands of people around the globe in a range of industries. He and his guests will teach you how to bring creativity and passion to your work. You will learn new strategies for solving problems while achieving a healthy work and life balance.
Erik Fisher interviews experts who have solutions for problems you face every day. If you’re determined to complete your to-do lists, then this podcast is for you. Recent guests include Chris Brogan, a bestselling business strategy author, and Dave Delaney, an authority on problem-solving skills.
Michael Auzenne and Mark Horstman are management experts. Career Tools will teach you how to build business relationships and networks. You’ll discover your leadership skills and you will learn to use them wisely. You’ll learn practical suggestions for gaining recognition and career advancement.
Harvard Business Review IdeaCast
Hear cutting edge ideas about management and innovation from Sarah Green, the editor of Harvard Business Review. Her Harvard connection gives her the clout to attract guests like Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet, Inc., Google’s parent company.
Podcasts for professional development are an inspiring resource. Try to have a pen and notebook nearby while you’re listening. You never know when inspiration may strike—and you don’t want to lose a great idea.
What are your favorite professional development podcasts? Listen to those that we’ve suggested and then let us know which ones you like best. Post your story on Twitter, follow us @Cydcor, and share this article with your friends to start a conversation with your community.
We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.
You have to commit to professional development to advance your career. Business professionals are eager to share their knowledge, insights, and experience--if you know where to look.
Professional development improves abilities and skills through education and training. Some employers will train you on the job. Sometimes you can learn a new skill by watching people at work. On occasion, you’ll read a book or take a class.
The Internet has made professional development much easier. We identified ten blogs to launch your professional development with a potent punch:
Partnering with managers and business owners taught Tom Foster the secrets to improving personal performance and teams’ productivity.
Start something awesome, do something awesome, and finish something awesome. Turn passion into productivity and become the best at whatever you do.
Cheryl Cran will teach you to welcome change, embrace technological innovation, and build agile teams.
Small Business Trends presents cutting-edge strategies for entrepreneurs running a small business and committed to improving their performance.
http://under30ceo.com/category/blog/
Traveling around the globe or to new destinations in your hometown will give any entrepreneur a fresh perspective on how to do business. Check out this blog for news, advice, trends, and event for any young entrepreneur.
Everything you didn’t know about everything there is to know about marketing. Godin is a master at messaging and communication. This is a great resource for looking to improve your career projector and professional development.
http://letsgrowleaders.com/blog/
Over twenty years of customer service, marketing, and sales experience has provided Karin Hurt with the ability to teach how to strategize change and build healthy business cultures. He’s also the expert in building vibrant customer communities.
http://www.theelpodcast.com/blog/
Skip school and dive into the in-depth insights you’ll find in the informative interviews with leading business authors. Visit Cydcor Reviews to find more about the books every business professional should read.
Aspiration leads to inspiration and acclamation. Art Petty teaches professionals to improve themselves and their teams through the use of objective strategy, observation, and continuous learning.
http://randomactsofleadership.com/
Discover the skills required to transform conflict into collaboration. Susan Mazza is a progressive thought leader with a passion for facilitating excellence.
Do you have a professional development plan for mastering new skills? Share your favorite resources in our comment section. Also be sure to follow @Cydcor on Instagram to learn more about our company based in Agoura Hills, CA!
We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.
Clutter is anything that prevents you from achieving your goals, learning new skills, and getting your job done. Follow these five tips and get your clutter under control.If you’re drowning in clutter, it’s easy to be overwhelmed. Don’t go there. Clutter makes you less productive, but it’s not a reflection of your character. With a little concentration and some hard work, you can fix your clutter problem. We’ve put together five tips to finally get your mess under control.
Schedule a monthly review of your paper and digital files. And don’t just think about doing it—actually do it! Pick a date and mark it on your calendar to make this procedure a regular part of your workweek. Review everything in your inbox, on top of your desk, and in your smartphone. Get rid of any files and documents you no longer need. File or scan and save documents that matter.
Pick a time at the beginning or end of your day for a 5-minute review of your workspace. Go through your inbox, review paperwork on your desk, and identify any items you can resolve with immediate action. If there are items that you can recycle or file, then take care of them right away.
Get familiar with the items in your workspace and how often you need them. Make sure that your tools have a place to call home and that they don’t migrate around during the week. To work efficiently, you need to be able to reach your supplies easily; make sure that all your most frequently used supplies are close at hand.
It’s great to keep personal knick-knacks on your desk—family photos, Star Wars action figures, or snow globes from all of your vacation—but if your collectibles get in the way of getting things done, then it’s time to reduce your collection. Also, be aware that this kind of clutter may send the wrong message to supervisors--it could tell them that you’re not the serious person they’re looking for to advance in their company. Have a friend or colleague take a look at your workspace and ask them what they think it says about you.
Schedule one day per quarter to go through all of the drawers, file cabinets, and storage areas in your workspace and clean them out, one at a time. Have a roll of paper towels and some spray cleaning fluid on hand. You’re going to empty every drawer and wash it out. This task will force you to decide whether to keep, recycle, or discard the items you find. Clean and wash your work surfaces. When you are finished, you will finally have a clean place to work, and that will motivate you to keep your workspace free of clutter.
How do you keep your workspace free of clutter? We want to know your secrets to staying organized and maintaining order with your print and digital files. Please comment here, share your tips on Twitter, and follow us @Cydcor. Invite your friends and colleagues to participate in this discussion so we can learn to do better together.
We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.
Even if you’ve been born with a friendly personality, you may find yourself stuck when you’re in a situation that requires you to start a casual conversation. If you’re a naturally quiet person, these social situations might be uncomfortable experiences. When you’re nervous you lose your confidence and find it difficult to focus. Follow these suggestions and learn how to turn small talk into a new skill!
Don’t Just Say Hello!
Saying hello is a standard introduction during a social encounter. It works, but it leaves the conversation with no place to go. Instead, get the conversation rolling with adding open-ended questions.
Small Talks Needs a Big Brain and a Big Attentions Span
Once you’ve asked an open-ended question, pay attention to what the person is saying. At the same time, think of one or two follow up questions based on what the speaker says. Pay attention to their eyes and facial expressions. You can nod your head to show that you’re listening. It’s okay to smile, laugh, or become serious depending on the conversation. When there’s a natural pause in the conversation, make a comment and ask another leading question. If you get nervous, just take deep breaths and try again.
Common Interests Build Common Ground
As you continue your conversation, you’ll discover shared professional interests and concerns, which will help you build a conversational connection. If you’re attending a business conference, you have the topics related to your business in common. This can be a great confidence builder when it comes to improving your casual conversation skills.
Know When It’s Time to Go
After a certain amount of time, you will know that you’ve reached the end of your conversation. At that time, let your contact know that you have other people to speak to. Simply say, “I’ve really enjoyed speaking to you, and I appreciate all the information you shared and getting to know more about your business. Here’s my card. Can I have your business card too?”
If you say that you’re going to follow up or provide some kind of information—do it. That’s how you turn small talk into big success—one conversation at a time.
Here is Cydcor's review of The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman.
About The Personal MBA: This is a pocket version of what you would learn in business school. Getting an MBA is a big commitment of both time and money. One book can’t replace an education, but The Personal MBA provides tools and resources to get you in the right direction to become a successful business leader. Josh Kaufman founded PersonalMBA.com as an alternative to the business school boondoggle. His blog has introduced hundreds of thousands of readers to the best business books and most powerful business concepts of all time. Now, he shares the essentials of entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, negotiation, operations, productivity, systems design, and much more, in one comprehensive volume. The book argues that true leadership comes from self-driven individuals and not from school.
Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders because: It explains the big concepts of navigating both the corporate world and the path of entrepreneurship. These concepts include The Iron Law of The Market (being limited to the size of your market and how to identify large, unsaturated ones), The 12 Forms of Value (many ways to create value for customers), The Pricing Uncertainty Principle (knowing how to support charging more), and 4 Methods to Increase Revenue (the ways in which you can earn more money for your business). The book covers the nuts and bolts of running a company, large or small.
Our favorite part: Kaufman provides a long list of examples of people who did not need an MBA to succeed in business. Quotes from prominent businessmen to motivate you is also a great help, and when you want more information, the book also contains a list of the “99 Best Business Books” for further learning.
Cydcor is the global leader in outsourced sales. Follow Cydcor today for more information on careers, sales and other business information.
This week Cydcor wanted to post a round-up of our favorite content on Cydcor Reviews, our book review site. Recommended for team members by team members.
Linchpin was written by marketing expert Seth Godin, who believes that finding career success today depends on learning how to market one’s self. Linchpins are an upcoming role in the world of tech, start-ups and the age of entrepreneurship. The linchpins are those that come up with new solutions, break the mold, and foster creativity in companies. Linchpin is about learning how to break out of the systemic roles traditionally in the workplace and implement new ideas where you work. Often, the linchpins are the indispensable people in the background, empowering others, but staying out of the spotlight. They often have a less specific role in the company, but rather focus on specific needs as the work scape morphs and changes. Godin believes everyone has something brilliant to offer, and being able to harness that brilliance and bring it to the workplace can equal success and happiness.
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell is an in depth look at how ideas get made into wildly popular companies, books or trends. Everything from television shows to teen smoking, popularity of ideas is modeled like an epidemic. There are carriers, those that evangelize the idea and get people excited about it. Malcolm Gladwell explains that there are three types of people involved in spreading an idea: connectors, mavens and salespeople. Connectors are people with a wide social network that are good at creating communities to rally for the concept. Mavens are knowledgeable experts that enjoy educating the public on their area of expertise. Salespeople are gifted at drumming up excitement for new things.
Lincoln by David Herbert covers the life of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln was raised in rural Indiana in a poor household. The book follows Lincoln’s perspective as he picked himself up through poverty and through political savvy made his way into prominence quickly. The book examines his character, his key advisors, and reveals his human flaws as well as his greatness. Biographies and autobiographies are excellent sources of inspiration for anyone looking to achieve professional goals. Lincoln is an especially beloved figure for Americans because he was raised in poverty and came from a disadvantage to well educated men raised in wealthy homes in cities.
Competitive Advantage is a model for creating and managing an enterprise successfully. Porter offers tools for analysis that are taught in MBA programs around the country. Michael Porter is a professor at Harvard Business School, and lectures and writes prolifically on managing a business. Tactics such as the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis teaches critical thinking that is crucial to successfully leading a company. Porter also discusses strategy at length, and helps businesses to either produce a scale economy or define a niche that will keep them profitable.
Onward is the story of how Starbucks Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz turned Starbucks around after a downturn in financial performance. Schultz explains that while the recession definitely had an impact in the loss in profits for the massive international coffee and specialty company, the biggest factor was a shift in company culture. Onward explains Shultz’ decision to return to the CEO position after a departure to implement a hands on strategy to bring his company to its most profitable year ever. Between 2008 and 2011, Starbucks was able to find its way again and Schultz continues to lead it to record profits every year.
Want to learn more about Cydcor? Check us out on the Cydcor LinkedIn page for our career advice, job news and more.
Cydcor is a leading outsourced sales company. We specialize in dealing with people and convincing them we have the right product or service for them. While Cydcor knows the best way to win customer loyalty is to always do the right thing for the customer, new prospects are often suspicious of sales representatives. Beginning new customer relationships takes effective communication to help your prospect feel comfortable around you. Here are some tips for building an effective customer relationship from the very beginning.
DO:
Be upfront about who you are representing. Start the conversation with “Hello, my name is _______ and I am here to tell you about ________ company, offering you a great service.” Also add in details about the service or product that will pique interest, such as money saving deals or upgraded features.
Take an active interest in the customer’s needs. Know why you are selling your product and why you customer should want it. Be sensitive to new customers’ current challenges and see if you have something that will make their lives easier.
Assure them that they are getting the best you can possibly offer. New customers like to feel like they are getting special treatment, that because of their interaction with you they are getting something no one else has access to. You can do that by offering exactly what they want, as long as it is within the boundaries of possibility.
DO NOT:
Be pushy. If someone says no it is okay to offer one or two more pieces of information that may change someone’s mind, but it is important not to push customers too hard, or not only will you lose them, but they may get annoyed and tell others.
Lie. Do not tell customers you can give them something that doesn’t exist, or twist the facts around so that they will be disappointed. There is a fine line between emphasizing the positive and just making things up.
Get emotional. Stressing too much or getting upset when someone says no will give you a reputation for being unprofessional. Always be kind, courteous and gracious.