Take the Tools, Leave the Distraction

Photo Credit - Spencer Imbrok via Unsplash - StrengthsLauncher
Productivity tools are like gym memberships—they’re only good if we actually use them. In a recent productivity study, students checked their smart phones for non-class related reasons over 11 times during class per class. In another study, one quarter of workers reported feeling increased stress and poor health because of the information they’re required to process for their daily work. Here are ... Read More

Best of the World of Work — Vol. V

World of Work Q2 2017 - StrengthsLauncher, StrengthsFinder, Doug Wilks
Hello StrengthsLaunchers! Smartphones—the story behind the story, key benefits of employee engagement and how to build resilience. My favorite world of work essays from the past three months… Are Smartphones Making Us Stupid? by Christopher Bergland Guarding the Eye Gate and the Ear Gate. #productivity 7 Excellent Reasons to Focus on Employee Engagement by Gordon Tredgold Higher profits, lower turnover, ... Read More

A Good Coach Is Your Secret Weapon [3 of 3 Part Series]

A Good Coach Is Your Secret Weapon
We know from our previous two posts that a good coach helps you discover, grow and focus your natural talents (H/t Obi Wan). A good coach is also a powerful sounding board for helping you assess where you are and how you will achieve your goals (H/t Angelo Dundee). Put another way, a coach brings out the best in you in different ... Read More

One Game, Two Coaches–Super Bowl XLIX

Bill Belichick
Same Subject, Different Treatment The late Roger Ebert once gave this bit of foundational film criticism insight: “It’s not what a movie is about; it’s how it is about it.” In other words, the subject matter is one thing, but the treatment of it is another thing entirely. The “how” of a film is what gives the film its meaning, its ... Read More

Carroll and the Seahawks: Relationship-Based Coaching

Today’s the big day. Millions of viewers, millions of dollars and millions of hours of preparation collide to determine this season’s Super Bowl winner. How did these two final teams–the Seahawks and the Patriots–make it to the world’s biggest stage for the NFL’s biggest game? What do these teams do differently from the competition? Do they simply possess more raw ... Read More

What do the double front somersault, Switch 720 and freestyle backflip have in common?

If you’re like me, any of these stunts would earn you a one-way ticket to six months in a full body cast, compliments of “questionable extreme sports decisions”. Instead, you watch in amazement as skilled platform divers, skiers and motocross champs perform incredible athletic feats of balance and precision. As Steven Kotler investigates in his book, “The Rise of the ... Read More