It might sound like just a crazy headline, but Jonathan Littman and Marc Hershon, the authors ofhit business bookI Hate People!, contend that you can tell a lot about potential employees just by looking at how they cross the street. In their tongue-in-cheek post on the American Express Open Forum blog they suggest interviewers arrange to meet at a location where candidates will be forced to cross the street. How they do so reveals a lot about how they’ll perform once hired. All jokes aside, for interviewees there’s a clear lesson here — everything counts, even seemingly trivial aspects of your presentation and behavior.
So what would your street crossing style say about you? Check out Littman and Hershon’s five types to find out:
Matador. Fearless, the Matador thinks nothing of daring the cars and taxis with his elegant dance through traffic. Crosswalks are just paint to a Matador. Red lights are mere suggestions. Nor does the Matador care whether the oncoming traffic shows no sign of stopping. After all, what’s a little glancing blow? Best Positions: Entrepreneurs, super salesmen, and financial mavericks.
Wader. Bold but not fearless, the Wader is eager to cross, demonstrating ample initiative but a little more common sense. Waders may phone and text while on the move…but not when venturing into traffic. They recognize that getting struck by any part of a car is a bad thing. That’s why they let the Matadors run interference. While the hotshots are busy tempting fate, the Wader is getting to the other side first. Best Positions: Excellent CEOs, vice presidents, software designers, project leaders and design heads.
TextWalker. Having mastered typing, talking and walking at once, the TextWalker tends to forget that crossing a car-clotted street is real life while tapping keys on a little plastic box is not. TextWalkers may appear on the surface to be Waders or even Matadors, but with one critical distinction—progress in their case is often an illusion. The Textwalker tends to meander, drift, and even pause midway. They lack the presence of mind to stay on task. Best Positions: Creatives and lower-level programmers. They exhibit flashes of talent but are ill-suited for management or higher-level responsibilities.
Light Jumper. Though a Light Jumper starts out determined to follow the letter of the law, when the crosswalk light turns yellow he can’t help but jump the curb. Dr. Jekyll turns into Mr. Hyde. A Light Jumper is not above shouting and glaring at motorists who narrowly miss him even though they still legally have the right of way. Best Positions: Dependable but ballsy attorneys, independent CPAs and trusty managers with hidden tattoos.
CurbHuggers. No matter how empty the street, CurbHuggers would never dream of leaving the sidewalk for the crosswalk a second earlier than the law (or the “Walk” sign) allows. Ironically, CurbHuggers rarely make it across before the light turns and, by playing it safe, are often sitting ducks for signal-jumping taxis. Best Positions: Accountants, statisticians, or rules-based occupations. Excellent at scheduling and attending meetings, especially when the purpose is to schedule new meetings.
For more provocative ideas from these authors, check out this post arguing that teamwork is for suckers.
If you’ve just gotten your first gig that involves a fair amount of travel, you could be forgiven for thinking you already know everything necessary to climb on a plane and get going. After all this won’t be your first time at an airport. But the veteran business travelers of the Economist’s Gulliver blog beg to differ and offer one of their secrets for fast and frustration free business travel.
There are some habits that smart business travelers pick up on their first or second trip. One of those habits is keeping a permanent toiletries bag for business travel. It just makes sense. When you have to repack your toiletries for every trip, you risk forgetting things. And if you don’t have a separate travel toothbrush and travel deodorant, for example, you risk having to make an extra trip to the store when you get home if you leave something in your hotel. Having a bag ready is quicker and easier.
Is it simple advice? Yes, but it’s also solid. And if you thought that this quick reminder was all there was to being a business travel toiletries Jedi then think again, young padawan. Gulliver goes on to offer resources for those looking to perfect their packing, including a tutorial from wikiHow and a friendly reminder to “consider the latest airport security rules and regulations when you’re creating your kit.”
We all know the old saw that everyone in business is in sales, but it won’t take an office newbie long to realize that there’s a great deal of truth to the saying, no matter how clichéd. Whether your a software engineer or a barista at a coffee shop, you need to be able to persuade others of the value of your ideas and your products without coming across as pushy, sleazy or manipulative. People who excel at this can seem to have some mystical ability that is innate and can’t be taught, but as this ten minute video from psychologist, author and body language Kevin Hoganpoints out there are some very simple, specific techniques to being your most persuasive self.
His contention: learning to use seven simple words can make the difference between changing someone’s mind and being ignored. What are they? Watch the engaging video to find out.
Generational differences at work certainly take up a lot of column inches in the media, and it’s indisputable that society shifts slowly over time so seniors are sure to differ, on average, from the youngest workers at the office. But how useful really are generational differences in planning how to manage a team? Should companies really target and tweak and their policies for Gen Y or Gen X, for instance? Read the rest of this entry »
As the first decade of the 21st century draws to a close, it’s time to pause for a moment and appreciate — a few stumbling blocks aside — the progress we’ve made towards a more inclusive, diverse business environment, right? That old boys’ club may still be alive and well but it’s on the wane, isn’t it? Not if a fascinating exchange from an in-depth interview by legendary journalist Lesley Stahl with Andrew Ross Sorkin, NY Times business reporter and author of the new book Too Big to Fail, on the topic of last year’s world rattling financial crisis, is to be believed. Read the rest of this entry »
A great internship can be a launching pad for an amazing career, but on the other hand, there are few things less inspiring that a mediocre one. Making coffee and copies and watching co-workers do exciting jobs while you complete repetitive, mindless tasks doesn’t exactly drive the young go-getter to their best performance. But as 20-something marketing maven Ryan Stephens points out on his blog, the difference between a successful and a lackluster internship isn’t all down to the company or the manager. Much of the responsibility for making an internship a valuable experience lies with the intern herself. So how can you rock your internship and up your chances of converting the opportunity into an awesome full-time gig? Read the rest of this entry »
Gen Y has taken plenty of flack in the media for being spoiled and demanding, and while twenty-somethings know from personal experience how off the mark these stereotypes are, unfortunately, many of our colleagues may believe the bad press. When Gen Yers join the workforce and encounter these negative impressions, what can they do to counteract them? Read the rest of this entry »
When we spoke with author Donna Fenn about Gen Y entrepreneurs and the relationships between the generations, one of her statements generated the most comments by far: “the most obvious generational conflict I’ve observed is between Gen Y and Gen X.” Readers offered a host of possible explanations for Fenn’s observation, but now a one blog is seconding her impression. The Huffington Post is claiming that the recession is intensifying Gen X’s discontent at work and leading to more conflict between those in their 30s and 40s and the two larger demographic bubbles that sandwich them Read the rest of this entry »
Whether you’re a young up-and-comer hit hard by the horrific jobs situation or an ambitious employee with a few years’ experience to your name, business school might be the right choice to rocket-charge your career and ride out the economic mess. So what can you do to up your chances of getting in? You can’t go back and change your grades and your work experience is what it is, but one thing that it is possible to improve without years of work is interview performance. Read the rest of this entry »
Jessica Stillman
Jessica is an alumnus of the BNET editorial intern program, which taught her everything she knows about blogging. She now lives in London where she works as a freelance writer with interests in green business and tech, management and marketing. more »
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It might sound like just a crazy headline, but Jonathan Littman and Marc Hershon, the authors of hit business book I Hate People!, contend that you can tell a lot about potential employees just by looking at how they cross the street. In their tongue-in-cheek post on the American Express Open Forum blog they suggest interviewers arrange to meet at a location where candidates will be forced to cross the street. How they do so reveals a lot about how they’ll perform once hired. All jokes aside, for interviewees there’s a clear lesson here — everything counts, even seemingly trivial aspects of your presentation and behavior.
