A businessman contemplates the succession plan of his organization

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Business &amp; Branding

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Imagine a scenario where the leader of your organization has stepped down without advance notice and no one is ready to take their place. Or a similar situation: A company finds itself at a loss when an owner who kept his leadership expertise entirely to himself winds up in the hospital unexpectedly for several months.



These are just two examples of why <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/future-ready-leadership-succession-planning/">succession planning</a> is essential for any size organization. And they’re both examples that <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jevonpowell" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jevon Powell</a>, an organizational psychologist and president, owner and senior consultant of Seattle-based firm Scontrino Powell, has seen over his nearly 30 years in the business.



In the first scenario, Powell says, “The organization was caught kind of flat-footed. They had to go to a temporary or an interim president. Now they’re being more thoughtful about what their next president needs to look like.” In the second scenario, he says, the leader’s “organization almost collapsed in his absence because nobody could take over his job.”



“Effective, consistent succession planning helps prevent significant gaps in leadership, so if somebody leaves unexpectedly, we know what to do,” Powell says. Succession planning is the process of identifying key positions in an organization and nurturing a talent pipeline to potentially fill those positions as the need arises.



As the scenarios above indicate, succession planning helps companies avoid gaps in business operations, loss of institutional knowledge or unnecessarily bumpy <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/nike-leadership-transition-is-a-lesson-in-business/">leadership transitions</a>. It engages employees and adds value to organizations.



“There’s a lot of research that highlights the importance of succession planning,” Powell says. “There is less consistent research around exactly which tools are going to be the most useful or the most effective. But certainly… one of management’s prime responsibilities is to ensure that they have a succession plan in place.” So how does an organization go about doing that?







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-consistent-process">Consistent Process</h2>



A key aspect to succession planning, according to Powell, is that it be a “consistent, disciplined, focused” endeavor. “One doesn’t just create a succession plan,” Powell notes. “One creates a process. And then the process is constantly working.” People’s lives change, employees change and businesses evolve, so a succession plan that is always humming along will be nimbler in adapting its staffing needs in the moment.



For example, Powell describes working with a large electrical contractor whose discipline about doing succession planning resulted in being able to quickly tap people within their organization to lead a new company they purchased. “They could move quickly and respond to things quickly because they had an awareness of the talent that they had within their organization and how they could reposition that talent.”



Powell suggests management should be putting together a <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/succession-planning/">succession planning system</a> “as early as possible in the life of an organization.” That system is twofold: It evaluates company needs, and it evaluates employees against those needs. And it does this in an ongoing way, relying on tools to produce information about both those needs—how employees are performing, what’s best for them, what the organization needs and how those needs can best be met.



The tools can vary. Powell points to various performance management and review systems that companies might employ, such as quarterly talent development roundtables, 360-degree reviews, 9-Box models or Red-Yellow-Green systems. HR often drives succession planning, bringing in people to participate in the process depending on the function and level of roles that need to be filled within the organization. Powell says the specific tools or systems matter less than “the discipline and the consistency of focus.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits">Benefits</h2>



Succession planning can have significant benefits for an organization, from preventing leadership gaps to retaining institutional knowledge to developing employees in ways that both improve morale and bring value to the organization.



Powell points to Gallup’s annual employee engagement survey, which shows that a top indicator of employee engagement and retention is the attention paid to professional development. “That’s about as person focused as you can get. Of course, it’s also good for the company… ” Powell says. “It is two sides of the same coin, and we have to pay attention to both sides.”



To that end, “transparency and predictability are both very important components of succession planning,” according to Powell. “Employees like to know that they might be considered for something. And they like to know that not only might they be considered for an advancement, but they like to know what they need to do in order to get there,” he adds.



“That might include things like training, coaching, alternative job assignments, special projects committees. So that transparency and that predictability are really important for everybody involved, but the benefit, obviously, is that it really helps employees feel engaged.”



This is equally true in smaller organizations where management positions are few and most employees don’t have an opportunity to move up. “We still want to make sure that we are helping people, employees grow and develop in the ways that they want to grow and develop and that they do so also in ways that benefit the organization,” Powell suggests.



Putting development plans in place for every employee is beneficial for all. “We may identify somebody through succession planning who is a high potential employee. And so, what we may want to do is explore things like job enrichment so that we’re teaching them additional skills that can enrich or broaden the position or the work that they do.” At the same time, this broadens their value to the organization.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-risks">Risks</h2>



Succession planning isn’t without its challenges and even risks. “One of the main risks that I see with organizations is that they are not deliberate about succession planning,” says Powell.



“All too often I see organizations that are really haphazard about it, and they’ll do it every couple of years, and it’s only because somebody says, ‘Oh my gosh, Phil is going to retire next year, and we don’t know who’s going to replace him.’ All of a sudden, we’re doing succession planning again.”



Successful succession planning is an ongoing process that requires consistency. It also requires that organizations have strong performance management systems in place. “The performance management system helps the organization evaluate how employees are doing and gives us reliable data to determine if they are meeting expectations or falling short of those expectations.”



“One of the main risks that I see companies fall into is succession planning can look like they are playing favorites,” Powell adds. “This is where the transparency piece is really important. So, if a company puts together a succession planning process, which they should, it should be clear what that process looks like: how often the team is going to meet, how they are going to evaluate employees’ performance, how they’re going to consider advancement opportunities. Transparency can help avoid the appearance of favoritism.”



While Powell says cost “is not a huge factor in succession planning because it doesn’t have to take that much time or money to do it right,” it does require buy-in from team members. “Another risk comes from managers, some of whom might say, ‘I’m too busy to do this nonsense. I have other, more important things to do.’ If they really truly believe that, I think those managers should probably go to another organization.”



Lastly, Powell mentions that offering employees chances at training for management positions should not just result in “adding a bunch of stuff to somebody’s already very full plate… In that case, that’s not really succession planning. That’s just piling on. Or, if we’re giving it a nice label, we call it workload distribution.”



All in all, Powell says the benefits of succession planning “dramatically” outweigh the risks.&nbsp;



This article originally appeared in the July issue of <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/magazine/">SUCCESS+ digital magazine</a>. Photo by Peerayut Chan/Shutterstock

When there’s an unexpected gap in leadership, businesses can go haywire. Learn why having a succession plan can keep everything running smoothly.

When there’s an unexpected gap in leadership, businesses can go haywire. Learn why having a succession plan can keep everything running smoothly. | SUCCESS

Why You Need a Succession Plan

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Jennifer Green has been writing about the entertainment industry for more than two decades, and her work (archived at filmsfromafar.com) has appeared in a variety of international publications and websites. She splits her time between the US and Spain, and when she's not teaching or spending time with her family, she can be found in front of a movie screen.

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Leadership

Leadership Archives

Leadership | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

Leadership style has a direct impact on a company or team’s atmosphere and financial performance and... the most effective leaders mix and match styles.



In 2000, psychologist Daniel Goleman—best known for popularizing the concept of <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/why-is-emotional-intelligence-important/">emotional intelligence</a>—published an article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) titled “<a href="https://hbr.org/2000/03/leadership-that-gets-results" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leadership That Gets Results</a>,” in which he outlined six concrete leadership styles that vowed to take “the mystery out of effective leadership.”



The styles emerged from a survey by consulting firm Hay/McBer of thousands of executives that tied into Goleman’s own emotional intelligence research. In the article, Goleman asserted that leadership style has a direct impact on a company or team’s atmosphere and financial performance and that the most effective leaders mix and match styles: “They use most of them in a given week—seamlessly and in different measure—depending on the business situation.”



By phone from his Goleman Consulting Group offices in New York in 2025, the author reiterates the same message. “The best leaders have access to several styles and use them as needed,” Goleman says. “Some leaders are stuck in one or two styles. If they’re the worst styles, the ones that have a negative impact, then people’s performance is typically lower.”







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-the-6-leadership-styles">Understanding the 6 leadership styles</h2>



What are those six distinct styles? In the original HBR article, they are defined as “coercive” leaders demanding immediate compliance, “authoritative” leaders mobilizing people toward a vision, “affiliative” leaders creating emotional bonds and harmony, “democratic” leaders building consensus through participation, “pacesetting” leaders expecting excellence and self-direction and “coaching” leaders developing people for the future.



In a nutshell, according to the original research, catchphrases for leaders of the six styles might be: “Do what I tell you” (coercive); “Come with me” (authoritative); “People come first” (affiliative); “What do you think?” (democratic); “Do as I do, now” (pacesetting); and “Try this” (coaching).



Since their introduction, the styles have been adapted extensively and applied to pretty much every industry. A variety of methodologies and training can be found online for determining, coaching and practicing leadership styles. Almost all seem to build on and/or come back to the original six laid out by <a href="https://www.danielgoleman.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Goleman</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adapting-styles">Adapting styles</h2>



“Many managers mistakenly assume that leadership style is a function of personality rather than strategic choice,” Goleman wrote in 2000. “Instead of choosing the one style that suits their temperament, they should ask which style best addresses the demands of a particular situation.”



He offers an example today of how a leader might adapt their style to fit the moment. “You might be a <a href="https://offer.success.com/leadership-lab/">visionary leader</a> in a hospital,” he describes. “Instead of starting a meeting with people talking about the numbers, which is a downer, you start the meeting by reminding people that our mission is a noble one, which is helping people get better. That’s the visionary leader.”



“However,” he adds, “a visionary leader may also be an ER physician, and in the ER, you really need to be kind of ‘command and control.’ Someone needs to take charge. You have to triage; you have to decide quickly how to treat people coming in. So, you use a different style in leading in that context.



“People often misunderstand this literature and think that they are ‘one style’ or another, when in fact the best leaders exhibit four or more styles as needed,” Goleman says.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-emotional-intelligence-fits-into-the-equation">How emotional intelligence fits into the equation</h2>



<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/emotional-intelligence-in-leadership/">Emotional intelligence</a> plays a key role. “If you were high in self-awareness, you would know what your leadership styles tend to be,” he adds. “And if you’re high in empathy also, you’d be better able to fit a particular style to a particular situation.” In addition, if leaders are more aware of their own strengths and limitations, Goleman points out, they’d know to surround themselves with people on their team who have complementary strengths. “I think the best leaders, for example at the top of organizations, have this ability.”



You can find myriad quizzes and <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/disc-assessment/">assessment tools online</a> for determining your own leadership styles. But Goleman adds that you can intuit this from those around you: “I also think that generally, whether it’s emotional intelligence or leadership style, you do better to ask people who know you well, who work with you day in and day out, whether you’re good at self-awareness or whether you’re a visionary leader than to try to figure it out yourself, because of self-deception.”



The original research underscored that very few leaders “have all six styles in their repertory,” but by exploring the emotional intelligence competencies involved in each style, “They can work assiduously to increase their quotient of them.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pros-and-cons">Pros and cons</h2>



“Being able to switch among the authoritative, affiliative, democratic and coaching styles as conditions dictate creates the best organizational climate and optimizes business,” the HBR article advised.



Goleman points out now that even the dubbed “negative” styles (read: coercive and pacesetting) have their place. “There is a context in which even what are usually the most negative styles can be quite positive,” he says. “So, for example, what we call the ‘pacesetter’ style, which often turns people off, in certain contexts when there’s an emergency, like in the ER, or if for example one company takes over another company, then the pacesetter or the ‘command and control’ (sometimes called the ‘coercive’ style) in a crisis can be very important. It’s very conducive to have someone in charge.”



Other writers have tried to pinpoint cons of the “positive” styles, such as that longer-term approaches might lose sight of shorter-term concerns, some approaches can be too time-consuming or some might presuppose that other team members be open to the same process.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-use-leadership-styles">How to use leadership styles</h2>



The HBR research summarized scenarios for when each style would work best:



Coercive: “In a crisis, to kick start a turnaround, or with problem employees”



Authoritative: “When changes require a new vision, or when a clear direction is needed”



Affiliative: “To heal rifts in a team or to motivate people during stressful circumstances”



Democratic: “To build buy-in or consensus, or to get input from valuable employees”



Pacesetting: “To get quick results from a highly motivated and competent team”



Coaching: “To help an employee improve performance or develop long-term strengths”



Styles can also fit better in certain industries. “I remember when I gave a talk in the financial sector,” Goleman recalls. “The idea of the ‘pacesetter’ was challenged because in that context of their business organization, it seemed like a valued leadership style. And it may well be, particularly because it’s very competitive to get a position there and to keep it, so that means people are both motivated and competent. If the people on your team are motivated and competent, then you can be a ‘pacesetter’ and have a successful team.” He adds that this could also be applied to the tech sector, for example.



“I think it’s useful to know that in certain contexts one style is more applicable than the other, and… to know whether you can manifest that style or not. Leaders need to know that, and I think coaches can help them.”



“Like parenthood, leadership will never be an exact science,” Goleman wrote in 2000. “But neither should it be a complete mystery to those who practice it.”



Ready to refine your leadership style? Join the SUCCESS® Leadership Lab—a dynamic, 18-day virtual course for rising leaders who want to lead with clarity, influence, and confidence. This hybrid experience combines expert-led lessons with live coaching to provide you with practical tools to build trust with your team, navigate chaos and crises, shape a healthy, driven work culture, and more. <a href="https://offer.success.com/leadership-lab/">Secure your spot today</a>.



This article originally appeared in the May 2025 issue of <a href="https://offer.success.com/success-plus/">SUCCESS+ digital magazine</a>. Photo by Drazen Zigic/iStock.com

Surprisingly, your leadership style isn’t a function of your personality. Learn the 6 leadership styles so you can employ them at the right time.

Surprisingly, your leadership style isn’t a function of your personality. Learn the 6 leadership styles so you can employ them at the right time. | SUCCESS

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Lifestyle

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Elevate your lifestyle for success and happiness

Sustainability, which <a href="https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/sustainability">the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined in 1987</a>, is “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Almost 40 years later, this is still the most frequently cited definition of the term, and the world is still working to meet those needs.



Charisma Acey, Ph.D., associate professor of city and regional planning and Arcus chair in social justice and the built environment at the University of California, Berkeley, says that “meeting the needs of the present” is the part of the U.N. definition that she emphasizes in her classes. “What are we sustaining if we’re not taking care of present generations as well?



“To me, it’s really about recognizing that our <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/steps-applying-human-sustainability-work/">human health</a>, environmental health, the health of our systems that sustain us socially, economically—they’re all intertwined,” she adds. “It’s about recognizing our connection to these larger systems that support us.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-caring-for-future-generations">Caring for future generations</h2>



Sustainability is inherently “about long-term thinking,” Acey says. This kind of thinking can certainly be seen in the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/sdgs-17-goals-transform-world#:~:text=Ensure%20sustainable%20consumption%20and%20production%20patterns&amp;text=If%20the%20global%20population%20reaches%209.8%20billion,natural%20resources%20needed%20to%20sustain%20current%20lifestyles">U.N.’s 17 interconnected Sustainable Development Goals</a> for 2030. According to <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/">its website</a>, the goals “are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.” They address issues of poverty, inequality, justice, climate change and environmental degradation.



The U.N.’s goals offer basic recommendations for individuals and organizations to act sustainably, such as <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/what-to-do-with-old-tech/">donating what you don’t use</a>, wasting less—especially water—and recycling more, getting vaccinated, supporting education and equality, choosing energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs, using alternatives to cars whenever possible, planting trees and more.



“Everybody deserves the right to live their full potential,” Acey says. “In the present, there are a lot of disparities…. Sustainability implies taking care of that now in a way that enables future generations to do the same. We’ve got to hold the present and the future in our thinking simultaneously.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-impact">Human impact</h2>



Ideas about sustainability predate Western thought, Acey notes. She points to the Iroquois philosophy of the seventh generation, which suggests that with every decision you make, you should think about the impact your actions will have on the next seven generations.



“That idea has been around a long time—the importance of having that long-term view when we’re making decisions today,” Acey says.



But how can we know what long-term effects our actions might have? One way is to determine your ecological and carbon footprint. This <a href="https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en">individual footprint calculator</a> asks questions about the kinds of foods you eat, the type of home you live in, what energy sources are in your home, how much trash you generate, what modes of transportation you use and so on. The tool then calculates your ecological footprint in global hectares, your carbon footprint in CO2 emissions and how many Earths would be necessary if everyone lived like you do. This sobering exercise can clue you in to individual actions you can take to lessen your lifestyle’s impact on the environment.



Of course, individual actions can only go so far, and some decisions are out of our control, Acey notes. These include whether or not your area has good public transportation, renewable energy options and access to different food sources.



“There is individual behavior—but there are these larger systems that also impact sustainability,” Acey says. “I think that’s where the challenges lie. We are changing those systems that really threaten our ability to survive on the planet.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-natural-environment">Natural environment</h2>



The <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sustainability/learn-about-sustainability">U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</a> offers another useful definition of sustainability: “Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. To pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations.”



“We’ve seen how our societies have had a global impact in terms of pollution and loss of biodiversity, and how we’re affecting the climate, and [the] realization that something’s wrong,” Acey says. “We’re threatening our own ability to survive by not thinking about where waste goes and how waste impacts other ecosystems.… We have to make the shift.”



If you read the headlines, you know that not everyone is on board for that shift. Businesses sometimes profit off the status quo, and governments aren’t always eager to invest in new energy sources or regulate industries. Some places export their waste to other countries with weaker protocols, creating global problems on a shared planet.



Acey underscores the importance not just of individual actions but also of making your voice heard. “There’s a feedback loop,” she says. “The more people, like ordinary people, consumers, residents, citizens… realize that we need to make a change, [the more] we have the power to demand change from the company we do business with or from our government.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-giving-back-and-creating-surplus">Giving back and creating surplus</h2>



For Acey, the word “sustainability” doesn’t fully capture the evolving field. She points to other emerging concepts, like “‘circularity,’ the circular economy; ‘resilience,’ because of climate change and increasing natural disaster events… [and] the ability of communities to recover and be better than they were before; [and] ‘regenerative principles,’ regenerative design and planning and architecture,” to name a few.



In other words, the focus of <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/sustainable-business-practices/">sustainability</a> today is not only on “consuming less or harming less but actually building or operating in a way that restores and enhances ecosystems,” she says. “We’re starting to think about [how we can] go beyond just minimizing impact to actually living in a way that gives back or creates surplus, both for people and the environment.”



Still, she says, sustainability is “a term that everybody’s familiar with. It can bring a broad spectrum of people together to talk about things that are really important, about sustaining our communities and societies.”



One other framework that’s well-known in the sustainability field is the three E’s: economy, ecology and equity. For Acey, equity can often be the most challenging.



“It’s not just a nice thing to do, to think about equity. It’s central to achieving sustainability,” she says. “The more we live in a way that cares for those needs, [the more] we’ll be able to live in a more sustainable, long-term way. So that’s what I emphasize with my students.”



Photo by Nguyen Quang Ngoc Tonkin/Shutterstock.com



This article originally appeared in the March 2025 issue of <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/subscriptions/">SUCCESS+ digital magazine</a>.

Sustainability means meeting present needs without harming future generations. Learn its definition, impact and how you can take action.

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Professional Growth

Professional Growth Archives

Professional Growth | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/components-of-emotional-intelligence/">Emotional intelligence</a> (also known as emotional quotient or EQ) is the idea that being able to understand and manage your own emotions helps guide your thinking and actions and makes you better able to work with and even lead others. The concept was popularized in the 1995 book Emotional Intelligence by psychologist-turned-author Daniel Goleman.



In his oft-cited 1998 <a href="http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/DIII/What%20Makes%20a%20Leader.pdf">Harvard Business Review article</a> “What Makes a Leader,” Goleman refers to a study showing that within a global food and beverage company, business divisions led by leaders with “a critical mass of emotional intelligence capabilities” outperformed yearly earnings goals by 20%. Goleman boiled those capabilities down to a list of five now well-known ingredients: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill. Since then, he has <a href="https://hbr.org/2017/02/emotional-intelligence-has-12-elements-which-do-you-need-to-work-on" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">consolidated</a> those attributes into four pillars: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/strategies-to-build-self-awareness-as-a-leader/">self-awareness</a>, self-management, social awareness and relationship management.



Other authors have built on Goleman’s thinking over the 30 years since Emotional Intelligence was first published, and a cottage industry of experts has arisen. If you’re a hiring manager or leader trying to determine whether a candidate has the kind of emotional intelligence you deem beneficial for your workplace and team, where do you even start?







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-eq-spectrum">The EQ spectrum</h2>



It makes sense to back up and ask why EQ is important in a company setting. Why is it something HR managers and leaders should be concerned with in the hiring process in the first place?



“It’s important because it enables you to collaborate and to work better as a team,” says Justin Bariso, founder of consultancy and training organization <a href="https://eqapplied.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EQ Applied</a> and author of the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/EQ-Applied-Real-World-Emotional-Intelligence/dp/3981984110" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EQ Applied: The Real-World Guide to Emotional Intelligence</a>.&nbsp;



“[EQ] enables you to make better decisions in the moment. Also, to progressively learn from your decisions, pushing forward—not making the same mistakes over and over again, but being able to step back and self-assess and really develop that growth mindset,” Bariso says. Effective management and successful teamwork require all EQ pillars because both are based on relationships.



Bariso cites a <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/608675/new-workplace-employee-engagement-stagnates.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gallup</a> survey that shows a single meaningful conversation each week between a manager and a team member will develop high-performance relationships more than any other type of leadership activity. In a separate analysis of employee engagement benefits, <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/285674/improve-employee-engagement-workplace.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gallup found</a> decreases in absenteeism and turnover and increases in productivity and profits from engagement drivers—such as a caring manager, ongoing conversation, a sense of purpose, employee development and a focus on strengths. A team’s manager or leader alone can account for 70% of the variance in team engagement, the Gallup survey found.



Goleman’s original five components of EQ are still helpful guideposts. These are listed below:&nbsp;



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand your moods, emotions, drives, strengths and weaknesses, as well as their effects on others.</li>



<li>Self-regulation is the ability to control or redirect disruptive moods and the ability to “think before acting,” contributing to environments of trust and fairness.</li>



<li>Motivation involves a passion to work for reasons that go beyond money or status, setting the bar high and maintaining a sense of optimism.</li>



<li>Empathy spans the ability to understand others and manage their emotional reactions.</li>



<li>Social skill or relationship management and network building, represents the culmination of all the other components of EQ.</li>
</ol>



For Bariso, EQ is a “spectrum,” comparable to <a href="https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide/gardners-theory-of-multiple-intelligences.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences</a>. “Everyone is going to have a baseline emotional intelligence where they are naturally skilled at certain things, and they have weaknesses in other things,” he says. A realistic expectation for employees and leaders, then, isn’t necessarily to excel at every aspect of EQ, but rather to have the “self-awareness to identify” their own strengths, weaknesses and tendencies so they can leverage their strengths and mitigate their weaknesses.



“Almost everything is emotional intelligence, and emotional intelligence is almost everything because we’re emotional creatures and emotion comes into play with every single decision we make,” Bariso says. “Emotion is good. We need emotion. Emotion helps us to motivate ourselves. But can we find that balance so we’re not letting the emotions take over, but we’re balancing the rational thought, the emotional thought and putting that together?”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evaluating-eq-in-job-candidates">Evaluating EQ in job candidates</h2>



While many organizations now use AI in the hiring process—to weed through resumes, for example—human connection is always a better tool for evaluating EQ. To be sure, an interview has the potential to give much more information about EQ than a resume, although you can certainly comb a resume to get a sense of a candidate’s history of commitment and duration at companies as well as their growth. Do they show a pattern of pursuing challenges and learning from them?



A resume can also contain some important signs of personality, Bariso notes, especially if job competitors rely on ChatGPT to write their resumes. While he says he’s not a fan of using EQ or personality tests in the hiring process, he does think that inviting candidates to spend time in an assessment center can offer opportunities for seeing how they react in different situations.



Bariso also suggests sussing out EQ qualities in an interview by asking candidates situational questions. These can reveal how they handle their emotions and interact with others. For example an interviewer could ask, “Tell me about a time where you were given critical feedback. How did you handle it? How did the person respond? How did you respond to their response?”



“Most people, under pressure, having that question thrown at them, they’re going to be honest,” Bariso says. “They’re going to tell you what they did. Even if they handled it spectacularly badly, if they were able to learn from it and talk about how now they would handle it differently, that shows emotional intelligence.” If the answer sounds like something that really happened, such honesty can also be a sign of emotional intelligence.



<a href="https://www.leaderfactor.com/learn/emotional-intelligence-interview-questions">Other experts suggest</a> observing a candidate’s behavior during an interview, noticing their consciousness of their own body language and emotions during the interview process, or evaluating their self-reflectiveness and the thoughtfulness of their questions and responses to the interviewers. Are they smiling? Are they aware of their own nervousness? Are they interacting in a genuine way with you?



Bariso adds “comfort with silence” as another quality to look for. If someone pauses and thoughtfully thinks through a question, “showing evidence that they’re willing to stop and think before they speak,” that’s a good sign. Translated to workplace meetings, this level of EQ can mean colleagues who will listen to each other and take each other’s ideas into consideration.



Bariso also suggests it’s helpful to look for a balance between confidence and humility in new hires. “You want them to be confident to share what they’ve learned, what they’ve seen in their previous roles…. But you also want them to be humble enough to accept other people’s opinions, to work together, to be able to adjust, to be able to acquiesce, to disagree and commit.” He quotes Microsoft CEO <a href="https://www.wsj.com/video/satya-nadella-the-learn-it-all-does-better-than-the-know-it-all/D8BC205C-D7F5-423E-8A41-0E921E86597C" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Satya Nadella’s</a> phrase that it’s better to be a “learn-it-all” than a “know-it-all.”



So, if you find a candidate who is honest in their self-assessments; up front or even self-deprecating about their failures; willing to share accolades; shows a growth mindset by having learned from their own experiences through reflection; and who energetically seeks out new creative challenges that go beyond the status quo, then by all accounts, you’ve found an employee with EQ. And, according to experts and studies, they’ll have the potential to contribute mightily to your organization.



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Discover how to use the interview process to evaluate emotional intelligence. Learn how a job candidate’s attributes impact company culture.

Emotional intelligence (also known as emotional quotient or EQ) is the idea that being able to understand and manage your own emotions helps guide your | SUCCESS

How To Detect Emotional Intelligence in Potential New Hires

How to Detect Emotional Intelligence in Potential New Hires | SUCCESS

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When <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/01/greece-introduces-growth-oriented-six-day-working-week" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greece</a> introduced a six-day workweek for some business sectors last July, the backlash was immediate. Unions condemned the law, and protestors took to the streets, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/07/05/nx-s1-5027839/greece-six-day-workweek-law" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to news reports</a>.



In fact, the Greek initiative contradicts a prevailing worldwide trend. Many countries and companies—as well as employees around the globe—are, instead, eyeing a four-day workweek.



In 2022, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/evaluating-belgiums-four-day-workweek-impact-1893298" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Belgium</a> became the first country in Europe to pass legislation giving workers the right to work the same number of hours in four days rather than five. A widely reported four-day workweek <a href="https://autonomy.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/The-results-are-in-The-UKs-four-day-week-pilot.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trial in the UK</a> from June to December 2022 allowed companies to tailor the model to fit their individual needs. The trial was the largest of its kind and boasted excellent results.



Some 71% of employees reported less <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/9-things-to-do-when-youre-feeling-burned-out/">burnout</a> and 39% less stress, while 15% of the 2,900 employees who participated in the trial said that “no amount of money” would convince them to return to a five-day workweek. Companies in the trial also reported an average 35% increase in revenue. Of the 61 companies that participated in the UK trial, 56 opted to continue with the four-day workweek.



“In Britain, and this is the same in the States as well, we have a culture of very long working hours,” says <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-ryle-521b341b7/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Joe Ryle</a>, director of UK-based advocacy group 4 Day Week Campaign, one of the organizations behind the UK trial.



“Particularly in the UK, we work the longest full-time hours compared to our neighbors in Europe, but we also have one of the least productive economies. What we are producing is a workforce that’s burnt out, stressed, overworked, not very happy.”



“It’s time for a change,” Ryle says. “And the encouraging thing is that the four-day week has come a long way in quite a short space of time.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-brief-history-of-how-we-arrived-at-the-40-hour-workweek">A brief history of how we arrived at the 40-hour workweek</h2>



<a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/10/how-did-the-40-hour-work-week-become-standard/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Historical records</a> show that industrial laborers in the 1800s commonly worked 70 or more hours per week. This prompted the creation of labor unions in the late 1800s that called for more reasonable workdays. It would take many more proposals and the Great Depression before Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which officially restricted the workweek to 44 hours in 1938, amended two years later to 40.



That model is still the norm. According to the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/charts/american-time-use/emp-by-ftpt-job-edu-h.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>, American workers averaged 8.09 hours of work per weekday in 2023. That’s an average, meaning many workers regularly exceed those hours. In some fields, it can be seen as a sign of status and dedication to put in much more.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-four-day-workweek-could-lead-to-a-greater-sense-of-well-being">A four-day workweek could lead to a greater sense of well-being</h2>



Still, cracks in the structure and acceptance of traditional work schedules have been appearing for decades. <a href="https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1956/09/23/95810374.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&amp;ip=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In the 1950s</a>, then-Vice President Richard Nixon promoted the four-day workweek as a means to raise the “standard of living” for Americans. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4079063/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In the 1980s</a>, the feminist movement began advocating for flexible schedules and maternity leave for women, demands that eventually extended to men. <a href="https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/en/resources/article/2024/flexible-work-increases-post-pandemic-not-everyone" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Following the COVID pandemic</a>, many workers realized they wanted more flexibility in their work lives.



A <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/513923/american-workers-optimistic-impact-wellness-initiatives.aspx">Gallup survey</a> of 5,458 U.S. adults in May 2023 found that 77% were optimistic that a four-day workweek option would enhance their well-being more than any other proposed initiative, such as providing mental health days or limiting work outside of work hours.



“In just a few years, we now have evidence that shows that actually when people are working… four days rather than five, not only are they much happier because they have a better work-life balance,” Ryle says, “they also are much more productive in the workplace. They’re able to get on with the work that needs to get done in four days rather than five.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-society-could-benefit-from-a-four-day-workweek">How society could benefit from a four-day workweek</h2>



The website for the <a href="https://www.4dayweek.co.uk/why-a-4-day-week" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">4 Day Week Campaign</a> further broadens the benefits of a shortened workweek from the individual to society at large. Societally, a four-day workweek could benefit the economy and the environment through outcomes like lower unemployment, increased productivity, boosts to tourism, greater gender equity, strengthened communities, a more sustainable lifestyle and a reduced carbon footprint.



“This isn’t a change which is going to happen overnight for everyone,” Ryle cautions. “If you look at the history of moving from a six-day week to a five-day week, it does take a while. It does tend to take around a decade or even longer for… an entire economy to shift. It’s going to take time, and there will be different ways of getting there and it will look different in different sectors.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-one-company-s-experience-implementing-a-four-day-workweek">One company’s experience implementing a four-day workweek</h2>



<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennakutcher/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jenna Kutcher,</a> digital marketing guru, bestselling author and podcaster, opted to try the four-day workweek for her business after reading Alex Soojung-Kim Pang’s 2020 <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shorter-Work-Better-Smarter-Heres/dp/1541730712?asin=1541730712&amp;revisionId=&amp;format=4&amp;depth=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">book</a> Shorter: Work Better, Smarter, and Less, which profiles South Korean companies that went against the grain of local culture and found great success with shorter workweeks.



She was also inspired by a friend who asked if she ever took a “sacred day,” described as “one day of the week that was reserved just for you. No guilt. Do whatever you need. Fill up your own cup before serving everyone else.”



“That was just a huge challenge to my way of thinking and working,” Kutcher notes. “I was finding that most of the time I was just shifting right from work into motherhood and vice versa.” Curious, she decided to try a 90-day trial of the four-day workweek. “The expectation for my team was no using Slack on Fridays, no hitting emails, no expecting anyone else to be online.”



Though she says she didn’t want to commit without trying it out first, she found that her team “loved it,” and productivity and profits were not compromised. Outside contractors were informed that Fridays were not a workday, and they proved flexible. “It was a non-contested decision to continue on with a four-day workweek, which we have done now for over a year because we absolutely love it.”



“My entire team is a team of women. Most of us are mothers. It was just amazing to have a little bit of time for ourselves but also to fill that day with family, life stuff and admin so that our weekends could be more enjoyable.”



She adds, “Fridays are now my sacred day—where I can fit in appointments, I can go get a massage, I can take a nap, I can spend time with my family or sit down and read a book. And I feel like it’s also challenged us in the work setting to be more efficient with the time that we have but also to not overthink things, to just be in a more active state, whereas, I think that a lot of times your projects will expand the amount of time given to them.”



“It’s something that I hope more companies put into practice, especially companies with moms,” Kutcher says. She advocates for companies to give it a trial run—like summer Fridays, for example—to see if it works for them. “I’m just a huge believer that, yes, you can do it all, but you need the system and support to be able to do that. And so, for me, the four-day workweek has totally helped.”



Her employees concur. Stephanie Montgomery, in customer support, says transitioning to a four-day workweek has given her “freedom and flexibility that I didn’t even know I needed.” She adds, “Being able to fully enjoy my life outside of my job makes me a better employee. And you can bet that I’m hustling to complete all necessary tasks by Thursday evening so that I can close my laptop for the week with a sense of accomplishment.”



<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisa-vittoria/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marisa Vittoria</a>, VP of operations, says that as a result of the four-day workweek, “I’m a better mother, wife, daughter and, I’d like to say, leader.” She says her family has saved money on child care, and she is now able to spend more time with her retired parents. At work, her time management and execution efficiency have only improved, and she says, “I’ve now become a pro at batching my days to get what I need done, communicating in a more effective and direct manner to manage and execute cross-brand deliverables and still protect evenings with my family.”



“This type of workweek takes time, effort, consistency, leadership, plus team commitment and, of course, a little creativity,” Vittoria adds. “But once a flow is set, it is 100% worthwhile.”



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Discover how companies across the world have used the 4-day workweek and how it could improve your own work-life balance.

When Greece introduced a six-day workweek for some business sectors last July, the backlash was immediate. Unions condemned the law, and protestors took | SUCCESS

Could the 4-Day Workweek Be the Answer to Better Work-Life Balance?

How the 4-Day Workweek Improve Work-Life Balance | SUCCESS

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work-life balance Archives | SUCCESS

Imagine that you’ve lost everything in a nasty lawsuit. You go from working a great job and living in a nice house to biking to shifts at McDonald’s so your family, now living in a single-room mobile home, doesn’t starve. How would you feel?



“If you could actually imagine that and say, ‘I could do that. I wouldn’t want to do that, but I could do that,’ then you’re free,” suggests Robert Puff, Ph.D., a Southern California–based clinical psychologist, corporate trainer, bestselling author and creator of the Happiness Podcast. “People that are fearless are much happier.”



Puff tells his clients this story as an exercise in the power of letting go of unrealistic measures of success and focusing on the present rather than worrying about the future. He describes working with incredibly successful people who are unhappy because they’ve put their lives on hold to work and make money, with the idea that they’ll stop and enjoy life once they’ve reached a certain milestone. As a result, their personal and work lives are out of balance.



“Usually, it’s men,” Puff notes. “These men will work very hard—100-hour, 120-hour workweeks for years—and then they’ll make this massive amount of money from this: 5 million to 500 million to 5 billion. And then they’re done. They say, ‘I’m done. I can now become a good father. I can be a good husband. I can be a great person.’”



But it doesn’t work that way, Puff says. “You can’t put your life on hold for that long without there being consequences to it. <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/jenna-kutcher-goal-digger-podcast/">Work-life balance</a> is critical in the success world.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-work-life-balance-is-not-a-new-concept">Work-life balance is not a new concept</h2>



The concept of figuring out how to balance work and life is not new, but it hasn’t been around forever either.



“The idea of balancing work and life was… a new invention when capitalism hit, when people started to work certain hours of the day—from nine-to-five, for example,” explains Shiori Shakuto, Ph.D., a lecturer in anthropology at the University of Sydney who addresses work-life balance in her book After Work, which comes out in January.



“The idea of work-life balance is interesting because it actually creates boundaries between the domains of work and life, and that has not always been the case,” she says. “For instance, before the corporate culture of salaried labor, when most people [were] in agricultural labor, the boundaries between work and life [had] always been blurred. You sometimes work, and you come back for lunch, and then you go out again.”



But Shakuto notes that the people working outside the home as salaried laborers were traditionally men. For women, she says, work-life boundaries have always been more blurred. “This idea that work and life [can] so nicely, clearly be demarcated is actually a pretty male-centered idea.”



Women’s traditional life roles and “the domain of home [have] been undervalued or [are] considered a feminine, feminized domain,” Shakuto notes, adding that women working outside the home still have outsized roles at home that muddle work-life boundaries. For example, from 2021 to 2022, 59% of unpaid caregivers in the U.S. are women, according to a <a href="https://wellsfargo.bluematrix.com/links2/html/d9b56735-644a-42af-a714-8919998a0470" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wells Fargo economics report</a>.



Shakuto adds that in female-dominated sectors, such as nursing, day care, and health work, frequent overtime is “justified somehow because it’s considered passion work.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-changed">What’s changed?</h2>



“Work-life imbalance is associated with decreased job satisfaction, productivity and eventual burnout,” according to <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4079063/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">an article published in the Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery journal</a>.



As the authors put it in 2014, “Today, work-life balance is also a multimillion-dollar industry and a deciding factor in choosing jobs as diverse as Wall Street bankers and physicians. A Google search for ‘work-life balance’ brings up more than 296,000,000 results, including links for tools for work-life balance, scientific articles and consulting companies to help create work-life balance.”



Now, 10 years later, the same Google search turns up 10 times as many results—about 2.9 billion. What has changed in that time?



One obvious transformation is the growing popularity of smartphones and social media platforms since the early 2000s. Technology “[makes] dominant the domains of work and [lets] that permeate through the domains of life,” Shakuto says. This trend was aggravated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people began working from home and work time began spilling over into evenings and weekends.



COVID-19 made “visible to people the idea that work and life [are] not as separate as [they’re] presented, which has always been the case and was obvious to perhaps many women—but now it’s… made apparent to men as well,” Shakuto adds.



And then there’s the social media comparison factor. As Puff points out, 20 years ago, you might have been much less successful than your fellow high school graduates, but you wouldn’t necessarily have known it. “Now, because of social media, you see them on a private jet, and you see them eating at these great restaurants,” he says.



But he points out that on social media, people “only show the parts of their life that are perfect. They don’t show all the dysfunction…. There’s a sense of brainwashing going on out there through social media that is making people think, ‘If I work really hard and if I get a lot of money, everything’s going to be great.’ And I just would like to disabuse people of that. It doesn’t mean you’re going to be unhappy. It just doesn’t make you happy.”



“Once we get in the comparing game, there’s always someone better than us,” he adds. “There’s always someone above us. And that means no matter how high we get, no matter how great we get, it will never be enough. It’s far better to say, “How am I doing? Can I improve on how I’m doing?’ And make myself a better person… and not try to compare myself to other people.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-find-a-good-work-life-balance">How to find a good work-life balance</h2>



How do you know if your work life and personal life are out of balance? How can you check if you’re managing your time and stress well or are at <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/9-things-to-do-when-youre-feeling-burned-out/">risk of burnout</a>?



Puff suggests asking yourself, “Are you tired? Are you waking up naturally, or are you waking up exhausted?” If you come home every night and need a bottle of wine or painkillers or rely on other artificial aids or addictions, then you know you’re off-kilter. “I’ve spent my life trying to figure out what makes people happy,” he says. “And happiness is not, ‘Someday I’ll be happy.’ Happy is, ‘I am doing OK right now without any form of external influence.’”



Shakuto says that her “research [and] book [are] advocating for valuing these activities at home that [are] now undervalued.” She also suggests that activities affiliated with “home” create community, emotional health and relationships “that you actually need to have a <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/17-quotes-about-living-a-beautiful-life/">very good life</a>.”



Puff’s recommendation is to make a conscious effort to enjoy the present, even while working, and make time for your family and personal life even during your prime career years. He also promotes meditation and mindfulness and suggests that instead of aiming to be happy someday, make it a goal to be happy now. “What if you said throughout the day, ‘I’m going to have moments and pockets of times where my heart is lighter, my heart is happier and my heart finds joy in the present moment’?” he asks.



“A thing I like about successful people [is that] they are goal-driven,” he adds. “So I would say now, start creating goals about watching sunsets, going on dates with your wife or your husband [and] spending time with your kids. Make that part of your goals.”



Puff points to Europeans who “work much, much less than we do” and lead happier lives. “If you enjoy what you do, and you take time to go on vacation… you’re not going to have such an urgency to get out of work and be done with it.” In that vein, he notes that finding a fulfilling work-life balance can have not only psychological and physical benefits but also fiduciary benefits. If you’re happier in your work and life, you can keep working for longer.



“You will make way more money by creating a work-life balance,” he says.&nbsp;



You can’t put your life on hold for that long without consequences. Work-life balance is critical in the success world.” Make a conscious effort to enjoy the present, even while working, and make time for your family and personal life even during your prime career years.



Photo by: JLco Julia Amaral/Shutterstock

Work-life balance may seem like an elusive, trending concept, but it’s nothing new. In this article, experts weigh in on what's achievable.

Imagine that you’ve lost everything in a nasty lawsuit. You go from working a great job and living in a nice house to biking to shifts at McDonald’s so | SUCCESS

Work-Life Balance: When Did Work and Life Start to Compete?

What Happened to Work-Life Balance? | SUCCESS

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young women unsure about the future of the gig economy

As more and more people rethink the traditional career ladder and in-office nine-to-five jobs, many are also reconsidering the wisdom of relying on a sole source of income. Welcome to the gig economy, a bustling and growing arena that offers workers with sellable skills flexibility, control and variety.



The projected gross volume of the gig economy in the United States has been on a steady rise over the last six years, more than doubling from $204 billion in 2018 to $455.2 billion in 2023, according to Statista.



The pandemic, the so-called “<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-great-resignation/">Great Resignation</a>” and a surge in the availability and accessibility of app gigs are three factors fueling the rise, according to Rafael Espinal, executive director of the New York-based Freelancers Union, a national nonprofit formed in 1995 to provide education, advocacy and tools to independent workers. Freelancers Union almost doubled its membership post-pandemic, from around 400,000 members after its first 25 years, to nearly 750,000 just four years later.



“The pandemic left millions of people unemployed and gave a lot of folks the opportunity to rethink how they want to create an income for themselves, and because of that, we have seen an increase in folks turning to freelance work” or rethinking how and where they wanted to work, Espinal explains.



With so many people opting to either supplement traditional jobs or go wholly independent, what does the future hold for the gig economy?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-gig-is-up">The gig is up</h2>



There were an estimated 4 million “independent professionals” in the top 30 markets in the U.S. last year, according to the <a href="https://npm-assets.fiverrcdn.com/assets/@fiverr-private/freelance_impact/freelance-economy-2024.990b757.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2024 Freelance Economic Impact Report</a>, produced by Fiverr, the online marketplace service connecting businesses and freelancers.



“Independent professionals” are defined as individuals earning income outside of traditional employment, not employing others and providing creative, technical or professional services. They express significant satisfaction with their work, according to the annual Fiverr surveys. Several key factors drive people to the gig economy.



One is greater location and <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/the-five-hour-club-and-the-future-of-flexible-work/">schedule flexibility</a>. Freelancers aren’t tied down to any single workspace or client list. They get to choose who to work for, where and when—and what to charge. “Women, in particular, view flexibility as a significant advantage of freelancing,” the Fiverr report concluded.







A freelancer also has the power to take on more or less work at any given time and to raise fees, for example, to combat inflation or rising costs of living. Some 38% of respondents to the Fiverr survey said they raised their rates in 2023, 43% said they increased their revenues last year and 55% said they expect to earn more in 2024.



Another factor is diversification. It can be comforting to not be wholly dependent on one employer. In the previous year’s Fiverr report, 84% of respondents said multiple sources of income gave them a greater sense of security. Freelancers Union offers programming on topics like upskilling: “Independent workers should have multiple tools under their belts in order to diversify their portfolios,” Espinal says.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shifts-in-the-gig-economy">Shifts in the gig economy</h2>



One trend Espinal sees happening in today’s gig economy is a move to the increasingly popular fields of content creation and marketing to fill spaces like copywriting, newsletters and social media. Locations are also shifting toward increasingly more rural and suburban areas, as well as diversifying away from the most expensive hubs like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.



The great majority of independent workers surveyed by Fiverr said they expect to freelance more hours in the year ahead, and this was especially true of younger freelancers: 56% of Gen Z and 54% of millennials said they expect to spend more time freelancing in 2024.



Freelancers grapple with some of the same trends and concerns impacting other workers, such as the supplementing and even potential replacement of human work by AI. But independent workers also face unique challenges.



“The independent workforce is a very fractured workforce,” Espinal says. “And because everyone’s working on their own, it really opens them up to opportunities of exploitation and harassment by the clients they work with.” Freelancers Union tailors its resources to this reality, offering community spaces, step-by-step guides (including a new <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/freelance-contract-guidelines/">contract creator</a>) and educational opportunities.



Late payments or nonpayments, often due to a lack of a contract, are a major challenge freelancers face. “My No. 1 piece of advice for all freelancers is to understand how to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/agreement-vs-contract/">read and write a contract</a>,” Espinal says, noting that a reported 75% of freelancers work regularly without contracts, leaving them unprotected. “If you want to ensure you get paid or double your chances of getting paid after completing a job for a client, then you have to have a strong contract in place.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-freelancers-face-the-future">Freelancers face the future</h2>



One of Freelancers Union’s key pieces of work right now is the <a href="https://freelancersunion.org/advocacy/freelance-isnt-free/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Freelance Isn’t Free Act</a>, currently enacted in New York City and a handful of other cities to legally require contracts between freelancers and clients.



Freelancers’ need for benefits, like access to affordable health care, paid leave and retirement, is another ongoing concern. “As an organization,” Espinal says, “we believe there has to be a larger federal conversation of how do we create a health care system that is truly affordable or free, like the idea of a Medicare for All policy?”



“We should have an honest conversation of what this actually means for the country, and it’s ensuring that all workers—whether you’re a nine-to-five worker, an independent micro business or a freelance worker—have access to the basic care and the basic necessities they need to live in our country with dignity.”



“There are a lot of full-time workers who should be classified as full-time employees and receive all the benefits that a full supplier receives, but they’re being classified as independent contractors so that companies can skirt around paying the taxes and benefits that they need to the government,” Espinal explains.



This is the core issue behind the ongoing battle in California over a Silicon Valley-backed proposition to classify workers for companies like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart as “independent contractors” rather than employees legally entitled to benefits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pitfalls-of-the-gig-economy">Pitfalls of the gig economy</h2>



As the <a href="https://cagigunion.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">California Gig Workers’ Union</a> outlines on their website, “By misclassifying us workers as independent contractors these companies exempt themselves from providing worker protections. They also offload significant costs—such as car payments, gasoline, maintenance, insurance and more—onto us,” despite setting working conditions, like fees, for the workers. A proposition allowing app-based transportation and delivery companies to continue classifying their drivers as independent contractors was passed by California voters in November 2020. Proposition 22 was subsequently found unconstitutional in August 2021, and by June 2023, the matter had worked its way to the California Supreme Court. In July 2024, the court upheld the exemption, allowing gig workers to be identified as independent contractors, rather than employees.



As Espinal puts it, “I think it’s fair to say that all levels of our government have been extremely focused either on the Wall Street economy or the Main Street brick-and-mortar economy, and there has been little emphasis made toward supporting the micro businesses, the solopreneur, the independent worker.”



Considering the rising number of gig workers and their contribution to the wider economy, this is a collective that should no longer be ignored.



This article originally appeared in the September issue of <a href="https://offer.success.com/success-plus/?utm_medium=navigation&amp;utm_source=website&amp;utm_campaign=success-plus&amp;utm_content=dts&amp;utm_term=early-adopter">SUCCESS+</a> magazine. Photo by Wasan Tita/Shutterstock.com

Learn how a rise in independent workers since the pandemic has meant new attention on some of the trends and concerns facing the gig economy.

Learn how a major rise in independent workers since the pandemic has meant new attention on some of the trends and concerns facing the gig economy. | SUCCESS

A Rise in Independent Workers Highlights Trends and Concerns Facing the Gig Economy

The Future of the Gig Economy | SUCCESS

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Young man points at himself exemplifying branding yourself

Personal branding expert Claire Bahn, founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based boutique strategic communications and marketing outfit <a href="https://clairebahn.com/about-claire-bahn-group/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Claire Bahn Group</a>, says she got into the field professionally after learning to market herself as an actor and model.



“I found that the people who marketed themselves the best were able to get the jobs they were best suited for,” she says. “If you think about your headshot and all the materials that you have—your reel, all that stuff—that helped me get jobs, as well as my social media presence.”



It’s not an uncommon story. Many people are inspired to bill themselves as a go-to expert in their field after years spent working precisely in that field. They have accumulated knowledge, and now they want to share it.



But how do you go about getting your name out there? What are the steps to go from brand idea to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/the-new-thought-leaders/">thought leader</a>? Here, Bahn explains some of the key stages of branding yourself and finding your audience.



One caveat: Bahn says it’s essential to have a backup plan at the start. “You can’t just say, ‘I’m going to quit everything, do this and my personal brand is going to work within a month.’” It takes time and consistency, so keep your day job or work through gig platforms that take a cut—just while you get started.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-ask-not-what-your-client-can-do-for-you">1. Ask Not What Your Client Can Do For You</h2>



A common misguided approach when branding yourself is to focus entirely on what you’re selling. Bahn suggests instead to think about what you can offer people or what unmet need you can fulfill. “What are you an expert in, and how can you help people?”



“It’s a different way of looking at it. Instead of what you want to talk about, it’s what people want to know,” she explains. That’s the crux of how you begin building trust with your potential audiences and clients. Bahn says it’s a crucial step many people skip.



How do you know what people want to talk about? How do you determine those unmet needs? Bahn suggests starting with websites such as Answer the Public, Keyword Tool.io and Ubersuggest to collect insights into what consumers are searching for online. You can also see what your competition is doing.



“I find out what people are actively searching for that I can answer in my area of expertise,” Bahn says. Those search results can also help you figure out where your ideal audience consumes content and “where you fit in and where you can differentiate yourself.”







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-write-a-personal-brand-statement">2. Write A Personal Brand Statement</h2>



Based on this information, you can then craft what Bahn calls a personal brand statement—or “simple information that tells them who you are, what your background is and why they should stay there, why they should follow you.”



Other elements to gather when branding yourself and launching a website and affiliated <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/6-tips-for-rapid-social-media-growth-in-2022/">social media</a> accounts are professional-quality photos and a cohesive look and feel across platforms.



But, Bahn notes, regular original content is ultimately going to be more important than even the world’s best brand statement. “It’s the content that’s going to bring people to you and keep them coming back.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-help-people-discover-you">3. Help People Discover You</h2>



Using the search information can help position your brand to appear in similar searches in the future. Bahn strongly recommends optimizing your website with SEO terms using software like Yoast. She also suggests being strategic about which social media platforms you want your brand’s presence on and how you use each.



Bahn suggests focusing on originality and fulfilling a need—helping people—over perfection, AI-generated content or paid ads. The key is to get in front of your audience and make them think. “You want people to think, ‘Wow, that was really interesting. I really like the way they broke that down. I really like the way he or she thinks.’ And then they follow you.”



“It’s about building trust with them so that they ultimately want to find out more about you or they talk about you to somebody else.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-create-conversation-and-community">4. Create Conversation And Community</h2>



Bahn calls social media “a discovery platform.” When branding yourself she suggests using social for snippets and sound bites that <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-drive-traffic-to-your-website-and-increase-brand-awareness/">drive traffic</a> to your website for more depth. The goal is “actively engaging with people in your niche as well as creating content and asking people for feedback. What are your thoughts? What do you think? Did I miss anything?”



Videos and snippets with SEO done well have natural longevity. “When people [search] for you, they find that content and consume it.” She warns against getting caught up in perfectionism and advises focusing on being consistent, even if that’s just one post per week to begin.



“Ultimately, you do want to get to a point where you are creating content more regularly than once a week, but you just need to start. And that’s usually the biggest hurdle, starting—to just start and then be consistent and don’t stop.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-give-more-than-you-take">5. Give More Than You Take</h2>



Once a brand is solidified, manage your reputation by regularly measuring your results, expanding your content pillars and, if appropriate, considering a media relations component. Most importantly, keep evolving and stay a part of the conversation.



“Stay attuned to what’s going on in your industry. If you’re actively listening and engaging and learning, then you’ll always find new content to talk about and new things to pique the interest of your audience. That’s going to be really key, because if you’re constantly just rehashing the same thing, you’re going to lose interest.”



Don’t be worried about giving away your ideas for free, she adds. “There are so many people in the world that need services, if you think about it. Instead of saying, ‘I’m going to gatekeep this,’ just tell them how to do it. Your ideal clients will come to you.” Though this may feel counterintuitive, “it truly is what makes people believe that you are an expert.”



She also advises against the hard sell. “I’m on social media all the time because it is my job,” she says, but her favorite accounts are the ones that “constantly give. I call it 80% give, 20% ask. You’re giving great information and helping people 80% of the time. And then you might be able to say, ‘Hey, go sign up for this free webinar I’m doing’ or ‘sign up for a consultation’ or something like that.”



The best way of branding yourself, Bahn reiterates, “is through helping people and creating content that helps people.”



Done right, crafting a personal brand can generate results in a matter of months. “Trust the process,” she says. “Keep your eye on the prize, and keep going.”



Photo by Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock.com

From fulfilling a niche to finding your audience and crafting targeted content, personal brand strategist Claire Bahn shares her guide to branding yourself.

From fulfilling a niche to finding your audience and crafting targeted content, personal brand strategist Claire Bahn shares her guide to branding yourself. | SUCCESS

Branding Yourself

A Five-Step Guide To Branding Yourself | SUCCESS

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Reema Khan, CEO of Green Sands Equity, stands in front of nature

If you’re curious what the future might hold for humanity and how targeted investments can help get us there, have a conversation with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/reemakhan1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reema Khan</a>.



Khan is the founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-sands-equity-inc/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Green Sands Equity</a>, a boutique <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/what-is-venture-capital-funding/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">venture capital firm</a> focused on investing in the technology, health care, space and frontier tech fields. Frontier tech includes subcategories like quantum computing, brain-computer interface and nuclear fusion.



It’s heady stuff, and Khan knows it. There are “ideas and technologies that aren’t here today, but when they come, they could bring paradigm shifts with them,” she says. “We want to have some part of our portfolio invested in a future that could be. It’s a big bet we take on these deep tech companies.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-advocating-for-the-future">Advocating for the future</h2>



But technology is only part of the equation, Khan notes. “It isn’t possible for any technology or innovation to solve problems for the world or to make the world a better place unless there is cultural readiness for acceptance of it.”



That, she says, is why she also dedicates time and resources to advocacy and philanthropy, with a special focus on empowering women and minorities. She is also a trustee of the<a href="https://www.seti.org/about" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> SETI Institute</a> and chairwoman of their Endowment Committee.



The SETI Institute is a scientific organization, funded in part by NASA grants, dedicated to investigating the nature of the universe and the prevalence of life beyond Earth. Khan funds the SETI Forward Award for the Carl Sagan Research Center, a prize that supports undergraduate students interested in careers in astrophysics, astrobiology and astronomy.



“My overarching philosophy is that progress is punctuated by increases in knowledge, and what we want to do is not work on making the world just more convenient, but we want to discover new truths and new ways of looking at the world and solving problems,” she says. “I often say progress lies not in enhancing what we have today, but in toward what will be.”



Green Sands Equity also specializes in political and policy strategy aimed at helping countries design incentives and strategies to attract foreign direct investments. The firm is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in New York, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. That global vision brings an inherent “humility,” Khan argues, in seeing and approaching topics from different perspectives, as well as staying “constantly curious.”



Khan herself was born in Saudi Arabia and raised between Europe and the United States. “We often say that at Green Sands, we have the DNA of an entrepreneur, a scientist and a diplomat,” she says. “We’re all free thinkers and people who care about the world. We are very global.”



Here, Khan shares insights into the work of Green Sands and her thoughts on the role of private equity in shaping the future.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pragmatic-innovation">Pragmatic innovation</h2>



Two main areas of investment for Green Sands Equity are technology and health care. “While the buzzword of today is ‘AI,’ we don’t actually use that so much. We say ‘data,’” Kahn notes. “We invest in hardware and software, with a look toward enterprise rather than direct-to-consumer.”



Though that’s a little unusual in Silicon Valley, she suggests, it may be because their team includes scientists and engineers. “We like hardware because we do feel that given how much data we have accumulated and the speed at which it needs to be processed for it to be meaningful in its outcomes— whether it’s in applications of AI or anything else—we do need to upgrade our hardware to be able to handle that.”



In the health care field, Khan points especially to therapeutics and digital health. “Again, these are companies that are building solutions that have never been built before. We really feel that we’re trying to build a future that isn’t here yet, in the sense of many people are trying to make things more efficient that are already here, but we’re literally building things that haven’t been ever done before. And that’s very exciting.”



One company Khan mentions in Green Sands’ portfolio is <a href="https://www.sandboxaq.com/company/about-us" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SandboxAQ</a>, which acquired <a href="https://goodchemistry.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Good Chemistry,</a> a company focused on computational chemistry, quantum computing and the power of simulation. Khan notes that it has applications in the pharmaceutical industry for drug discovery.



Another is <a href="https://colossal.com/company/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Colossal</a>, a company focused on “de-extinction.” Khan highlights its innovations in areas like artificial gestation and embryos. This, she notes, “has applications that are good for humans and for genomics, and it has an impact that is going to be far greater than bringing back the wooly mammoth.”



Two other investments include brain-computer interface companies <a href="https://synchron.com/technology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Synchron</a> and <a href="https://www.paradromics.com/about" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paradromics</a>. Khan compares them to Elon Musk’s Neuralink, though she underscores that the two are “valued much more nimbly.” She calls them “very meaningful companies” that hold “great promise” for people with disabilities, among other applications.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-enabling-change-through-investment">Enabling change through investment</h2>



Khan notes that some of the “crown jewel companies” in Green Sands’ portfolio are women-founded or women-led, such as <a href="https://bioagelabs.com/team" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BioAge</a> (co-founded by Kristen Fortney), <a href="https://spaceperspective.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Space Perspective</a> (co-founded by Jane Poynter), <a href="https://encoded.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Encoded Therapeutics</a> (co-founded by Stephanie Tagliatela), <a href="https://www.stepful.com/about" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stepful</a> (co-founded by Tressia Hobeika), <a href="https://elvespeed.com/technology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elve</a> (founded by Diana Gamzina) and <a href="https://www.spacex.com/mission/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SpaceX</a> (co-led by COO Gwynne Shotwell).



“I don’t necessarily pick companies because they’re led by women, but of course I give them a second, third, fourth look before I say no. I do want to make sure that I don’t miss anything that is worth investing in,” Khan explains.



<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/funding-bias/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“[We] need more women who are investors</a> because investors really are the enablers of thought and execution today,” Khan continues. “And if you put women in those seats, then you are enabling a change.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-investing-in-promising-ideas">Investing in promising ideas</h2>



Khan may be investing in the future, but she is clear the firm is also “very pragmatic” and employs a strategy that straddles both shorter-term three-to-five-year returns as well as long-term investments.



“We’re responsible for returns. We are managing capital, hard-earned money of endowments and institutions [that] are also doing meaningful work. And our job is wealth creation for them as well.”



Reigning wisdom generally pushes investors toward one or two big winners. As a woman, she says, “you learn to enter a very competitive market from the sidelines, to see the opportunities that others are leaving behind and still see value in them.”



“We have been able to invest in many ideas and companies which might not be the multibillion-dollar IPOs, but they have built products and tools and have brought about innovations that have enabled future companies to build on,” Khan adds. These often end up being acquired by larger companies.



“While they themselves may not be the big stars, they have enabled the big stars,” she says. “Those companies are laying the foundation for more innovation to come.”&nbsp;



Green is a freelance writer based between the U.S. and Spain.



This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/subscriptions/">July issue of </a><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/subscriptions/">SUCCESS+</a> digital magazine. Photo by Augustine Raj/courtesy of Reema Khan

Learn how Green Sands Equity founder and CEO Reema Khan chooses technology investments that can make money and build a brighter future.

Learn how Green Sands Equity founder and CEO Reema Khan chooses technology investments that can make money and build a brighter future. | SUCCESS

How Green Sands Equity Invests in the Future

How Green Sands Equity Invests in the Future | SUCCESS

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You always hear people say that mistakes and failures are opportunities for growth. For <a href="https://www.ricardojimenezh.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ricardo Jiménez</a>, learning from failure has absolutely proven to be an opportunity, and on a grand scale. In fact, he’s written a book called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Crash-Course-Founders-Journey-Startup-ebook/dp/B0CVXTVX8P" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Crash Course</a>, that details the creation and collapse of his start-up business and, more importantly, what he learned from the experience.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-human-side-of-building-a-start-up">The human side of building a start-up</h2>



The subtitle of his book, “A Founder’s Journey to Saving Your Startup and Sanity,” hints at what makes Jiménez’s take unique. He talks at length about self-awareness and the mental health component of being an entrepreneur. “I think we need to get deeper into the human side of the person building the startup,” he says.



Jiménez calls “understanding our inner states” a huge component in evaluating motives before launching a business. Other components include trusting yourself, following your instincts while leading and, crucially, knowing when to let go if necessary. “The more you understand where you're coming from, the more you're going to understand what's happening to you and why you are leading or making the kind of decisions that you're making,” Jiménez says.



“[As] humans, we like to think that we can do anything—we're going to build companies, we're going to build empires, we're going to change the world. But the most likely scenario is that things will not work out as you thought, and that will create confusion, and you need to be ready to understand that that's also part of the game.”



Quoting Apple Founder <a href="https://youtu.be/UF8uR6Z6KLc?feature=shared" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Steve Jobs’ famous 2005 Stanford commencement speech</a>, Jiménez says that “we connect the dots looking backwards” on our lives. He connected the dots on his own journey to arrive where he is today: launching his first book about learning from failure and finding his “own path to freedom.” It’s a story “about the emotional journey,” in his words, and it’s one that holds lessons for others.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-launching-the-plushky">Launching the Plushky</h2>



Ricardo Jiménez and his best friend Juan Fernández, from back home in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaragoza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zaragoza</a>, Spain, first began planning a business around the concept of plush “toys in the shape of countries” in 2010. Their idea for the Plushky was that each toy would come with an individual personality and a sticker collectors could place in a passport. The broader goal was to awaken in children a curiosity about the world, so their startup grew to include educational materials, a book and even an augmented reality app.







In Crash Course, Jiménez describes jumping in headfirst with a combination of “passion and urgency” and with a steadfast conviction that their product would find its market—though they hadn’t yet spent significant time researching that market or confirming an audience demand.&nbsp;



This would prove to be the company’s downfall. As Jiménez writes in his book, “Entrepreneurs are also often advised to ‘find a problem, solve it for one person (ideally for themselves) and then solve it for many people.’ Plushkies did not do this. We did the opposite and began with something I thought was creative and then looked for a market. We were a solution looking for a problem.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learning-from-failure">Learning from failure</h2>



Jiménez describes over several painful chapters the years of false starts, <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/a-manual-for-dealing-with-rejection/">rejections</a> and disappointments that came next, which far outweighed the flashes of success for Plushkies. “A dream—one that I had begun full of joy and hope—had turned into a never-ending struggle,” he writes. He found himself confused, depressed and running out of money.



Six years after launching, Plushkies finally folded. “I wanted to write a book about what I went through because I thought that by sharing my own struggles, I might become a source of inspiration and encouragement to entrepreneurs—especially if they ever felt stuck or stupid,” he writes. “My goal was that others might learn from my hurt and be more prepared, or at least aware.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-there-s-so-much-more-to-life-than-a-company">There’s so much more to life than a company</h2>



Not long after the stuffing went out of Plushkies, Ricardo Jiménez spent six months on a meditation retreat in Uruguay. He says that learning from <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/your-business-failed-whats-next/">failure</a> gave him valuable lessons, “especially about emotions and about surrendering to life, about understanding that there's so much more [to life] than [a] company.” He continues to make time for meditation retreats each year.



Some of these lessons make their way into the book, where he offers a great deal of advice, both business and personal. Ultimately, he recommends respecting and trusting yourself as a person, regardless of your success or failure: “You are not just a means to build a company. You are a deserving human being, whether you closed a big deal or raised capital or not.”



There’s a clear correlation between the country-shaped Plushkies and Jiménez’s own international background, lifestyle and worldview. Originally from Spain, Jiménez has lived in Indonesia, Miami and Austin, as well as other locales. Today, he says he tends to split his time between Puerto Rico, Spain and Asia. He <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/why-traveling-the-world-is-the-best-investment-in-yourself/">travels</a> frequently and has friends and business around the globe. “I feel very comfortable… operating at the level of the world,” he says.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-be-optimistic-and-trust-yourself">Be optimistic and trust yourself</h2>



Jiménez describes feeling so certain that his Plushky business would succeed that he never contemplated the alternative. But the reality is that many new ventures don’t pan out. “You don't start companies because you're bored [or] because you don't have anything better to do,” Jiménez says. “You need to put everything you have [into it]... so you need a lot of courage… and you need a lot of optimism.”



He adds that he “never had a marked path to success… so I kept trusting the inner impulse of what I wanted to do at [the] time. I think there is a lot of wisdom in that and in trusting your own path.”



Jiménez began investing in <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/5-strategies-to-maximize-profit-in-cryptocurrency-trading/">cryptocurrency</a> as Plushkies was winding down, and it’s a new path that has afforded him the time and freedom he’d always dreamed of as an entrepreneur.



“I would encourage people to find their own way,” he says. “If they want what everybody else has, then all they need to do is what everybody else is doing. But if they want to… achieve, arrive or succeed in a different way,” then they need to look at how they can “feel more comfortable deviating from the norm.” That can mean “be[ing] very open [to] opportunities and risk.”



Photo courtesy of Ricardo Jiménez.

Author and entrepreneur Ricardo Jiménez talks about learning from failure and prioritizing mental health. Learn more in our latest.

Author and entrepreneur Ricardo Jiménez talks about learning from failure and prioritizing mental health. Learn more in our latest. | SUCCESS

Trust Your Entrepreneurial Journey, But Be Open to Learning from Failure

Trusting Yourself and Learning From Failure | SUCCESS

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Business owner contemplates hiring remote workers

This past year has widely been touted as the year of “return to work.” After extolling the value of hiring remote workers, especially as necessitated by the pandemic, many companies are now requiring employees to return back to the office, either full-time or in a hybrid role.



Take IBM, for example. In a widely circulated 2014 white paper titled “Challenging the modern myths of remote working,” the company, known as a pioneer in telecommuting, highlighted the various benefits of hiring remote workers: time-saving advantages, positive environmental impacts and higher rates of employee engagement, productivity and happiness.



But in January of this year, IBM reportedly issued an ultimatum to managers: move near an office for at least three days a week of in-person work or resign. Other companies have been on a similar trajectory post-pandemic, prompting anxious headlines about the end of the remote-work era.



<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickjankel" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nick Jankel</a>, co-founder of leadership consulting firm <a href="https://switchonleadership.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Switch On Leadership</a>, whose entire team of employees works remotely across different time zones, says he sees a couple of reasons for this trend.



“The level of leadership required to manage people virtually-slash-nomadically is a lot for people and companies,” he notes. On the other hand, he acknowledges the potential that comes with virtual work. “You can do quite a lot virtually. It has surprised us what we can do.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-be-aware-of-the-risks-and-determine-what-works">Be aware of the risks and determine what works</h2>



Leaders managing <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/challenging-the-office-role-in-a-remote-working-world/">remote workers</a> need to consider everything from a need for different kinds of communication and management styles to offsetting relationship costs to juggling different time zones. “You need a functioning way of having your workflows executed and completed to good quality, [even] when you’re not awake to manage them,” Jankel says. “The biggest challenge I’ve seen play out with countless clients is the level of commitment and care.” He underscores that it’s essential to have “a high level of trust” when hiring remote workers who work independently. He advises leaders to “bring into the visible what is usually invisible. That means unbelievably clear communication. It means negotiating agreements and the consequences of missing agreements.”







Some remote employees with little oversight can overcharge and underwork. This is something Jankel says he’s had personal experience with. “That’s expensive, and it’s a risk. And if you’re doing that at a level of a 10,000- or 20,000-person company, then you want to reduce the risk. You’re going to bring people back to the office.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-managing-remote-workers">Managing remote workers</h2>



A breakdown in <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/9-ways-to-build-company-culture-in-hybrid-workforce/">company culture</a> and relationships is another concern for companies. “It’s really hard if you don’t meet in person because you can’t get that trust level, the safety, what we call in our work the ‘container,’” Jankel says. “If you are a fully virtual workplace, it is quite hard to get a kind of cultural vibe, climate, mojo.”



Instead, he coaches leaders to “empower” and “inspire” remote workers, “to create space for them to experiment and have ideas and innovate.”



A shift in traditional manager-employee power dynamics is at the core of the digital movement. “You have to rely on a much more relational game of leadership, where you are building trust, you’re building care, you’re making sure they get the integrity of what you’re doing and that it needs to be done to this level of quality. You have to do a lot more boundary-ing around what’s appropriate, what’s not, what you expect and what you don’t. You have to be much more explicit.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-see-the-benefits-of-hiring-remote-workers">See the benefits of hiring remote workers</h2>



Digital nomads can have notable benefits for companies, Jankel says. “This is an unusual lifestyle choice, but these people are brave, right? They’re self-empowered, and they’re self-managed, in that no one’s told them to do this; there’s no requirement.”



For example, companies might not need to worry as much about well-being programs if they have employees who already feel they are “living their best life” or “not sacrificing their choices to get paid.” Another benefit can include the exposure a company receives through the wider diversity of people its nomadic employees encounter in far-flung locales.



Firms do need to consider the legal, financial and tax implications of where their employees are located and the framework in which they’re hired. A 2021 report from labor and employment law firm Littler Mendelson advised devising strategies for structuring these relationships legally.



“There’s obviously a big difference between if they’re a freelancer or if they’re a five-day-a-weeker,” Jankel notes. “I think digital nomads tend to work best as freelancers or contractors.”



“I wouldn’t ever say to someone, ‘You should hire some digital nomads,’” Jankel says. “For me, it’s always about the right person. And if they happen to be a nomad, don’t be afraid. Don’t think it can’t work because you might get loads of benefits that you can’t see yet or don’t understand yet.



“If you want to hire the most talented, committed and interesting” employees, particularly among 20-something <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/remote-work-gen-z-isolation/">Gen Z</a> and millennial nomads, Jankel says, “you may have to realize that they may not want to work in your office.”&nbsp;



This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/subscriptions/">May issue of SUCCESS+</a> digital magazine. Photo by fizkes/Shutterstock.com

Leadership consultant Nick Jankel offers advice for employers debating whether they should be hiring remote workers. Find out more.

Leadership consultant Nick Jankel offers advice for employers debating whether they should be hiring remote workers. Find out more. | SUCCESS

The Benefits and Risks of Hiring Digital Nomads

Benefits and Risks of Hiring Remote Workers | SUCCESS

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A business is flooded under standing water.

When a “once-in-a-century” flood left the facilities of Maine-based snack company <a href="https://www.mainecrisp.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Better With Buckwheat</a> (BWB) under 4 feet of water the week before Christmas in 2023, CEO <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewis-goldstein-6391982/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lewis Goldstein</a> had his work cut out for him.



The company was closing out its best year in business when the flood struck on Dec. 18. “Personally, it took a toll on me,” Goldstein admits.  "We tripled our revenue in '23. We had thousands of dollars of orders left to go out in December [and] had such a strong momentum going...Then to have it just stop...[was] tough."



Known locally as the “<a href="https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/weather/severe-weather/grinch-storm-of-2023-was-one-of-the-worst-storms-in-maine-history/97-56530c53-de4b-4f68-bece-690e211c9729" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grinch Storm</a>,” the torrential rains that blew out electricity and heat across Maine resulted in flooding over the course of several days. BWB is situated on a river, which Goldstein says rose more than 25 feet and inundated their facility.



Adding insult to injury, the BWB facility was new—the company had just taken over the industrial space and embarked on a rebuild. They’d only been working there since September 2022, with plenty of new equipment and refurbished walls, floors and installations.



The government declared a state of emergency. Goldstein and company couldn’t enter the BWB facility for six days until utilities and electricians determined it was safe. When they entered, they found they’d lost the majority of their ingredients and most of their stock, including all their finished goods and packaging.



“We didn’t know at that point how long we were going to be out of commission,” Goldstein recalls. The company offered employees two weeks of pay, which gave them time to sign up for unemployment and avoid any unpaid time over the holiday season. They set a date to try to reopen by Jan. 22, 2024.



BWB hit that target and began producing again on Jan. 24, 2024. When Goldstein spoke with SUCCESS® in late March, he said the facility was back to working at about 90% capacity: “We’re finishing the final touches on putting the building back together as we speak.”



Goldstein’s experience holds valuable <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/leadership-lessons-for-business-owners/">lessons</a> for others, especially as natural disasters like the “Grinch Storm” are occurring more frequently now than ever.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-enlist-others-for-emergency-business-plan-advice-nbsp">Enlist others for emergency business plan advice&nbsp;</h2>



When news of the flood hit, Goldstein immediately reached out to others for advice. He says he talked with one of the company’s board advisers who had gone through a fire disaster at a food company, and he spoke with others who had experienced floods.&nbsp;



Their first point of advice was to get the disaster recovery team in as quickly as possible, start cleaning up the facility and worry about insurance policies and money later. “You can’t wait for the insurance adjuster, and the people I called told me to just do it and figure out the money later. That was smart advice.”



BWB brought in a disaster mitigation company to assess and address damage. An industrial-strength dryer worked at getting back up to FDA standards for moisture in the air and a workforce was assembled to clean everything and demolish walls to take out insulation where mold might grow.



The other key piece of advice Goldstein received was to “over-communicate, over-communicate, over-communicate”—with retailers, distributors, suppliers, employees, investors, customers, anyone and everyone. “People are going to be understanding of the situation you’re going through as long as they’re kept up to date.”&nbsp;



One of BWB’s key accounts, Whole Foods, for example, was “very understanding,” in Goldstein’s words. “As soon as we didn’t have any more stock, they said, ‘We’ll put a temporary ‘out-of-stock’ and as soon as you have product, it’ll go right back on the shelf.’”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-create-strong-relationships-with-other-businesses">Create strong relationships with other businesses</h2>



For Goldstein, Whole Foods’ reaction was one of several insights he had over the <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/business-continuity-planning/">course of the disaster</a> into just how crucial relationships are for any business, but especially in an emergency. BWB was started by a local family and is based in rural Maine. The company’s founders live just a few miles away, and their daughter works for BWB.&nbsp;



Goldstein notes that many local partners have watched BWB grow and have grown alongside them. But what he found after the flood was that local and non-local <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-pick-a-business-partner/">business partners</a> alike were supportive. “It didn’t take much more than asking for them to say, ‘How much time to you need?’”



“It ingrained in me even more that if you have a relationship that’s not great… do something about it before you are in a situation where now you don’t have anyone to call.” He refers to these invested relationships as “intangible equity.”&nbsp;



Businesses might be tempted to change partners regularly “to save a penny or two,” he says, but in a disaster, you need deeper ties and partners with built-up goodwill who will give you a break “so you can get back on your feet.”&nbsp;



“Make sure you have a really strong relationship with your electrician, your plumber and those core service providers. Because in a disaster, everyone’s going to be calling them, and if you haven’t had a good relationship, if you haven’t paid them on time, if you haven’t been a good partner, you’re not going to be at the top of the queue.”&nbsp;



BWB got back on its feet with help from many partners, including employees. Goldstein describes how staffers came down to the facility unprompted to pitch in with cleanup. “They also wanted to see the business recover—both for the job and because you have a sense of community. When you see something destroyed, there’s a natural sense to want to see it be built up again and be part of that.”&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-make-sure-you-understand-your-business-insurance-policy">Make sure you understand your business insurance policy</h2>



As BWB assessed water damage to machines and installations, Goldstein says he wasn’t sure what would and would not be covered by insurance. He jokes he had an “MBA course in insurance coverage and insurance companies” in figuring out the firm’s various policies and juggling multiple insurance adjusters.



He recalls this as one of the most stressful parts of the whole process, and his top piece of advice for others is to get counsel on insurance coverage from owners of similar businesses. “If I had to do it all again, knowing what I know now, I would have gotten much, much more into our insurance when I took over as CEO.”



“You have to understand all the fine print of your insurance and go through your facility with your insurance broker. Make sure everything that you want covered is covered. Know what are the exceptions to that coverage, and are there other coverages you can buy to cover those exceptions.”&nbsp;



It’s also crucial to keep your policies constantly updated, he says. Be prepared for a disaster of any kind and ensure your coverage grows as your business grows or your inventory grows. Each time a new piece of equipment enters your facility, get it added to the policy.



After the flood, “We had to order all new stuff and do that without having the insurance money come in. Thankfully, we try to work with as many local businesses as we can, and those businesses were understanding about giving us a considerable amount of extra time to pay them.”



Goldstein says he anticipates 70% of the company’s losses from the flood will be covered by insurance, and he’s hoping state relief funding will cover the rest. But, he notes, with proper insurance coverage, a company can and should be 100% covered in a disaster like the Grinch Storm.



Photo by Jon Rehg/Shutterstock.com

Maine-based snack company Better With Buckwheat gives their lessons on a business disaster and how to create a business emergency plan.

Maine-based snack company Better With Buckwheat gives their lessons on a business disaster and how to create a business emergency plan. | SUCCESS

Lessons on Creating a Business Emergency Plan From Maine-Based Company Better With Buckwheat

Lessons on Creating a Business Emergency Plan | SUCCESS

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Stella Grizont, author of the Work Happiness Method, sitting on a stoop with a coffee mug in her hands

Personal Development

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Personal Development | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

You’ve probably heard the reassuring saying that when one door closes, another one opens. <a href="https://www.stellagrizont.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Author, executive coach and positive psychology expert</a> Stella Grizont says she hopes her story demonstrates that “you don’t have to actually shut the door. You might be perfectly where you need to be and [may only need to] adjust something within.”



That mindset shift of embracing the detours and seeing setbacks as “setups” encapsulates key aspects of <a href="https://amzn.to/49mZ4gI" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Work Happiness Method</a>, which is also the title of Grizont’s new book.



Grizont describes going through her own existential crisis, crying in bathrooms at work, suffering from <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/imposter-syndrome-cost-me-thousands-of-dollars-heres-how-i-learned-to-fight-back/">imposter syndrome</a> and feeling unfulfilled—even after completing a master’s degree in happiness (applied positive psychology) and launching her own business.



“Then something clicked,” she recalls. “I realized I was the common denominator. I realized maybe it wasn’t the corporate clients who weren’t creative enough. Maybe it wasn’t the leadership at the startup. Maybe it’s me.”



That realization was the genesis for what is now a thriving <a href="https://www.stellagrizont.com/coaching" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coaching program</a>, reaching more than 100,000 people through talks in more than 40 countries. In her book, Grizont describes the process and tools she uses to guide people on a personal journey to find happiness at work.&nbsp;



She focuses on work because it’s where we spend most of our waking hours, and it can be “the best sandpaper for our growth,” but you can apply her method to any facet of life.



“I’m grateful that my path led me to this,” she says. “I’m just trying to help people avoid the anguish and existential crisis that I had.” Here, Grizont explains the eight inner skills she coaches to help steer people toward growth—and enjoy the process.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stella-grizont-s-work-happiness-method">Stella Grizont’s “Work Happiness Method”</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-resilience">1. Resilience</h3>



“Being able to manage your mind and mood when you hit setbacks” is a crucial skill, Grizont says. “Our moods determine how much we see and how much we take in,” she adds, citing the importance of <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/john-addison-4-ways-to-say-no-to-negativity/">abstaining from a negative mindset</a>. “If you want to see new possibilities for yourself, it’s most likely going to happen when you’re feeling safe and you’re in a positive state of mind.” This doesn’t mean ignoring what’s wrong, but rather acknowledging it and giving yourself space and compassion to cultivate possibility where you can.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-clarity">2. Clarity</h3>



The Work Happiness Method offers guidance and tools to make these subtle shifts. One of those is <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/6-books-to-help-you-make-your-vision-a-reality/">defining your vision</a>—“your unique definition of success.” Grizont explains, “that’s a description of who you are when you’re most alive.” It’s not a to-do list of goals, “it’s about how are you feeling, and who are you being and what are those conditions that support you?”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-purpose">3. Purpose</h3>



“If our vision is our destination, <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/identifying-your-purpose-and-values-how-to-go-beyond-happiness/">our values</a> are the guardrails that keep us in the right lane,” Grizont says. “They influence our decisions on a daily basis.” She notes that it can be a process to establish your own values, as opposed to those you inherited from your parents or adapted from others. Grizont walks people through a step-by-step process to clarify those values. “There’s no guesswork. I want people to feel like they’re guided.”







<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-boundaries">4. Boundaries</h3>



Focusing on your vision and living your values can involve setting boundaries, which Grizont envisions as space to grow within. “It’s a focus on, ‘what do I want to hold, expand and create within myself?’ versus putting on armor and protecting myself from the bad stuff.” Grizont leads clients on what she calls an “energy audit” to discover and set boundaries. “You need to understand what parts of your job… or what activities you find energizing or draining, so that you can do something about it.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-play">5. Play</h3>



Stella Grizont is a big believer in play, especially its utility in regulating and reframing life’s uncertainties. “We’re wired for it as humans,” she says. “It changes the way our brain works. It increases neuroplasticity. It helps us face ever-changing landscapes.” Playfulness allows us to “create just a little bit of space for the unexpected—and even unexpected delight or learning or growth.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-6-discovery">6. Discovery</h3>



“When you’re playful, then you can be open. And actually, you’re in discovery mode.” At the end of each chapter of The Work Happiness Method, Grizont offers an assignment. “Discovery is about what changes, if any, do I need to make in my role, in my responsibilities? Or what can I add or what do I want to steer myself toward, if anything?” She calls people “discovery tourists” when they set out to “job craft”—gathering information and considering new paths or customizing existing roles and relationships.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-7-approach">7. Approach</h3>



Making changes can involve difficult conversations. Grizont advises preparing for and engaging in fruitful conversations while avoiding confrontations. “The opportunity here, if mastered, is that you will not only get what you need but also get more,” she writes in her book. “You get to grow.” That’s because approach “is really an inner process,” she says. “Oftentimes the most difficult conversation you have to have is with yourself first.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-8-refocus">8. Refocus</h3>



In her book, Grizont writes about “yielding to life,” staying curious and getting aligned with “our best self, the version we describe in our vision.” Refocusing helps you “befriend the detours” and “creatively leverage the inner skills you’ve been practicing.” It’s coming full circle and putting all eight skills to use.



Grizont says she’s seen significant results in terms of increased happiness and satisfaction in individuals and organizations employing her method. “Success isn’t necessarily about what you achieve,” Grizont says. “It’s about who you’re being.”&nbsp;



This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/subscriptions/">March issue of&nbsp;SUCCESS+</a>&nbsp;digital magazine. Photo courtesy of Stella Grizont.

Positive psychology expert Stella Grizont coaches people with her “Work Happiness Method." Learn how to apply it to your life.

Positive psychology expert Stella Grizont coaches people with her “Work Happiness Method." Learn how to apply it to your life. | SUCCESS

Stella Grizont’s Work Happiness Method: 8 Skills for Career Fulfillment

8 Skills for Career Fulfillment According to Stella Grizont | SUCCESS

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shanda sumpter blonde hair woman wearing tan blazer

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Heartcore Business describes itself as “the premier training and coaching company for driven entrepreneurs who want to create a massive impact and generate financial freedom without sacrifice.” Those values are embodied in Heartcore’s founder, Shanda Sumpter.



“I consider myself a trailblazer because I did everything first in my family,” Sumpter says. “Leaders forgive first. They step up first, and I think it’s really hard to make it in business today if you’re not a trailblazer.”



Heartcore is, by Sumpter’s telling, an “eight-figure company” that works with entrepreneurs at every stage of their business who find they “are not reaching enough people.” It also owns an AI-specialized virtual assistant outfit that handles everything from design and marketing to online summits, and Heartcore organizes 28 events each year to help business owners grow their companies. 



Sumpter says more than 70% of her clients are “creating results each quarter.” But Heartcore is about more than just business results. The company also helps entrepreneurs drill down and define their culture—their values and identity.



“My hook is to show you how to reach more people,” Sumpter says. “I love entrepreneurs because I think they’re leaders. And what better than to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/leadership-soft-skills/">train a leader</a> to be a better human being in the world and to be more responsible for what they see is important and to expand that through their family and friends and help more people to change the world?”



Sumpter laughs, saying she might be “crazy enough” to believe she can change the world. Here’s how she aims to do that.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shanda-sumpter-s-key-to-financial-freedom-a-freedom-based-mindset">Shanda Sumpter's key to financial freedom: A freedom-based mindset</h2>



Known for advocating for work-life balance, she unabashedly works 15 days a month and then takes one week off to do whatever she wants—except work. “That’s really what it takes to be successful, so I’m intense at taking time off,” she says. During that week off, her online show, Shanda on Demand, goes dark and her staff knows not to contact her except for emergencies.



“Everybody wants to know how to create the content, how to create the message, how to create the business, how to grow it,” she says. “And I say: Start with accountability first. What is the structure you want to put under your life? I take one week off a month.”



Calling workaholism, all-day multitasking and the lifestyle of “everything in moderation” until you retire “middle-class mindsets,” Sumpter preaches instead a “freedom-based mindset” centered on finding both emotional and financial success. Make your free time count and surround yourself with people who challenge you while simultaneously claiming your <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/jim-rohn-says-these-are-the-3-money-habits-of-a-rich-mindset/">share of the wealth</a>.&nbsp;



“It’s easier to become a millionaire than it ever has been,” she says.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-be-a-blessing-to-others">Be a blessing to others</h2>



In her 2015 book, <a href="https://amzn.to/3vUb5v6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Core Calling: How to Build a Business That Gives You a Freedom Lifestyle in 2 Years or Less!</a>, Sumpter discusses  research that has indicated income doesn’t always directly impact emotional well-being. She writes: “Striving for more money will not necessarily give you a better life unless you put the same emphasis on building your life as you do on building your financial freedom.”



“The way through to success is who you spend your time with and how you lead yourself on a daily basis,” she says. “I think leadership is more important than absolutely anything you can study on the entire planet.”



And it’s about more than financial success. Sumpter says there are a myriad of ways to get to the top, “but income is a great measuring stick because it tells you how much you have contributed,” she says. “As it goes up, I’m telling you, you see the contribution in the human being and the heart of the person. They don’t need another car. They don’t need another house.”



Sumpter says a trigger for her is when people make enough money and then say, “I’m good. I don’t need anymore.” Considering all the problems in the world, she notes, that mindset is limiting. “There are places in the world that need you right now,” she says. “At what point does humanity just say your money isn’t about you?”



Heartcore’s website says Sumpter has “given over $400,000 in the last 24 months to meaningful causes like ending human trafficking,” and the company is “tithing 10% a month as our stand to make the world a better place.”&nbsp;



Inspired by scripture, Sumpter advises: “Make enough money to be a blessing to others.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-start-changing-things">Start changing things</h2>



Sumpter is Christian, and her website mentions God frequently, though she is clear that she coaches and trains people of any faith or background and resists the idea of eschewing dialogue out of fear over differences. “My value system is to provide a platform where everybody has a voice,” she says.



“If we could just stimulate that in people: to be a safe place for people to have their value systems and to be OK if other people are not a safe place for them, to still walk in their value systems,” Sumpter says. “That’s really the underlying core of what we do really well in the world.”



“Generosity” is the first word Sumpter uses to describe her business. Heartcore offers much of its training content online for free. “I get that it’s generosity and contribution that actually unhooks me from my small thinking, and I want that blessing for everybody,” she says.



“Yes, I teach business and financial freedom, but I’m in a humanitarian project because I just think the world’s better if there are stronger leaders in the world,” Sumpter says. “They stop pointing fingers, and they start contributing. They start changing things.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-recommit">Recommit</h2>



While she describes her childhood as difficult, including some emotional and physical abuse by a stepfather figure, she doesn’t believe her battle has been different from anyone else’s.



“Heartcore Business is called Heartcore Business, not Shanda Sumpter, because I always wanted to be behind the scenes,” Sumpter says. “I knew that I wanted to be rich, and I’m not going to apologize for that. I knew God had a reason for me to be successful, but I never had a desire to work harder. I’ve had to hack the system. I’ve had to put myself into triathlons to mentally strengthen myself. I’ve had to hire coaches.”



If she hadn’t experienced getting back up after being knocked down, Sumpter’s not sure she’d have achieved financial freedom. She tells people, “Don’t hire me because I’ve been successful. Hire me because of the amount of times I’ve gotten up off the middle of the living room floor and was successful despite the odds.”&nbsp;



This article originally appeared in the March/April 2024 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photo courtesy of Shanda Sumpter.

Shanda Sumpter uses her coaching company, Heartcore Business, to help entrepreneurs build their financial freedom and bless others.

Shanda Sumpter uses her coaching company, Heartcore Business, to help entrepreneurs build their financial freedom and bless others. | SUCCESS

Heartcore Business Founder Shanda Sumpter Reveals 4 Ways She Helps Leaders Achieve Financial Freedom

Shanda Sumpter Is Helping Leaders Achieve Financial Freedom | SUCCESS

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John Lee entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and business coach, smiling in a blue suit

AI &amp; Technology

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When you talk with energetic <a href="https://johnlee.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">British entrepreneur John Lee</a>, it’s hard to imagine that, one day, there might be two of him. That’s because the self-made millionaire and global public speaker is in the midst of cloning himself.



Yes, you read that correctly. There might not be an actual double in the works, but Lee is currently using AI technology to gather data from thousands of hours from his own presentations to clone his voice and—perhaps, eventually—his image. The immediate goal is for generative AI to be able to answer questions in Lee’s own voice using context and expertise from his previous speaking engagements.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-entrepreneur-john-lee-believes-ai-is-the-future">Entrepreneur John Lee believes AI is the future</h2>



With a growing team and upward of 6 million social media followers as of press time, he says he can’t possibly respond to every single question or request for one-on-one coaching. He’s betting on <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/our-ai-coworkers/">AI to help him</a> reach more people individually and maybe allow him to appear virtually, like a hologram, at events one day.&nbsp;



“One of the challenges I face in my job is that I have to fly around the world and speak in front of people, but there’s only one of me,” Lee says. “I can only be in one place at one time.” With an AI avatar based on a 3D scan, “now I'm in a position where I can choose to be there, or I can have my AI talk for me.”&nbsp;



Even this AI pioneer admits concerns about security, rights, ethical issues and more. But he advocates embracing technology’s potential to enhance human life. He also puts his money where his mouth is, investing in AI companies. “This is already happening. We can choose to resist it or work with it.”&nbsp;



In the Q&amp;A below, John Lee dishes on where he’s been, where he’s going and how he expects AI will help him get there. Then, learn the top five user-friendly AI tools Lee recommends to boost your business.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-q-amp-a-with-john-lee">Q&amp;A with John Lee</h2>



SUCCESS: This sounds like the perfect combination of your background innovating and eschewing the traditional career path, and your background in animation. Is that right?



John Lee: Yes, because I'm always thinking about what are some of the best ways right now to do things quicker, faster and easier. 



So, for you, AI is about efficiency and being in more places at more times, extending your work?



JL: And not only that, but it’s also the legacy when I’m not here… Humans, we are born, we enjoy life, and then we leave the earth. But what if a part of you is left behind? What if you’ve got a husband and wife and one person passes away, but we can recreate that person? What if someone's got dementia but could now speak to their own selves… They’ve created skeletal structures for robots. You’ve got the film industry that can create lifelike skin, generative skin that can basically be pieced together. Now, the only thing missing is the brain. But guess where the brain comes from? Generative AI. So, now, you can live forever.



Is that part of what you’re talking about with legacy? Are you hoping to live forever?



JL: The reason why we don't live forever is because the next generation needs to evolve from our mistakes. That's why humans don't live forever. Because, if we did, you know you would never be able to grow as fast. Whereas, if you have a machine [that] is you but can learn 10 times or 1,000 times faster than you, then what is being alive? It gets quite deep when you start questioning this stuff. Is this what being human is? [grabs wrist] Or is this what being human is? [points to head] It's your consciousness that stays behind. So, imagine we take our consciousness, and we can put that into anything. I think that is, for me, to leave something behind for the next generations to learn from.



Who are your mentors in the field of AI?



JL: I'm very fortunate that I get to speak all around the world on this topic, just being in that environment of hearing people, listening to people, friends of mine who we talk about these topics together. I've been very blessed because <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-use-ai-to-make-money/">AI is very new</a>…. I'm still learning a lot of stuff. I listen to podcasts. I speak at events. I do searches for things… A lot of the people that I’m learning from are actually the people I’m investing in. That’s how I get firsthand knowledge. 



You are currently paid to mentor, speak about and answer the questions that AI is going to be able to handle in the future. Are you concerned about losing income?



JL: Here’s the thing: You need to disrupt yourself. If you don't disrupt yourself, someone else will. You're right, my consulting fee is very high, and by doing this I've practically commoditized myself. Why would I want to do that? Well, instead of spending an hour with somebody and charging them $5,000, I can now train a million people around the world for maybe a dollar an hour. So, now, it’s a matter of scale. Scalability factor is where AI is at. If people are not embarking on that journey, then they’re definitely missing an opportunity.



How would you describe your biggest hopes or goals for the future?



JL: My goals and hopes for the future are that humanity accepts the inevitable and uses it to evolve even further. For example, humans have the intelligence to be able to fly someone from one end of the world to the other. But what they haven't figured out is how to do that without destroying the world. That's an example. But with technology, it'll take that base and say, “You're doing it this way, but why do you do it this way?” And it will see things that we won't have seen because our brains are, in essence, very primitive compared to AI.



You seem to have an optimist’s view of AI.



JL: It goes back to the superhero movies: “With great power comes great responsibility.” It's not about what is out there or not out there. The question is intent. What is the <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/go-straight-for-the-joy-and-follow-your-purpose/">intent</a>?



Do you trust AI more than humans to do the right thing?



JL: That's a tough question to answer without proper contextualization, without proper securities. Here’s the issue: When you solve a problem, you inherently create another problem. So, now, we’ve got a superhuman <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/unconscious-ai-bias/">artificial intelligence</a>, and now the problem is, how do you control it? That’s why we say something like, “New level, new devil.” We are at the brink of this exponential growth into something I think is pretty incredible, that will help more people, solve a lot of the world issues happening right now that we humans can’t really seem to solve. We need a different intelligence—a higher intelligence to teach us—so we can evolve.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-ai-tools-recommended-by-john-lee">5 AI tools recommended by John Lee </h2>



<ol>
<li><a href="https://chat.openai.com/auth/login%5C" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ChatGPT</a>: This AI-powered model generates human-like text using context clues and prior conversations. Lee confirms its capabilities. “I spent 20 years training how to do copywriting, and yet a piece of AI can rewrite the whole thing in 10 seconds, 10 times better than I can.”</li>
</ol>



<ol start="2">
<li><a href="https://www.midjourney.com/home/?callbackUrl=%2Fapp%2F" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Midjourney</a>: A generative AI tool that creates images from text prompts. “Midjourney can help people design things,” like logos. Together with ChatGPT, these are “two of the most popular” tools commonly used today.</li>
</ol>



<ol start="3">
<li><a href="https://www.synthesia.io/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Synthesia</a>: This platform creates videos from text. One possible use is to relieve those with stage fright from having to speak publicly. “Synthesia can give you an AI avatar and basically present for you.”</li>
</ol>



<ol start="4">
<li><a href="https://www.heygen.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HeyGen</a>: Another AI video creator, it can 3D scan you in, put your voice on top and “literally speak like you.” Lee describes the founder doing a sample presentation using a generated version of himself, “and people could not tell that it wasn’t him.”</li>
</ol>



<ol start="5">
<li><a href="https://www.hostinger.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hostinger</a>: “Most people don’t know how to code,” so this platform lets AI create a website for you, based on minimal prompts and in a matter of minutes. “What used to take three to six months and thousands of dollars to create can now be created in the click of a few buttons.”</li>
</ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-or-human">AI or human?</h2>



What do you think: Was the following short bio written by SUCCESS’s human author or by ChatGPT?



John Lee's story is one of determination, hard work, and a strong desire to create a better life for himself and others. Born to Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong, John Lee's upbringing in Manchester was influenced by the values of his parents, who instilled in him the importance of education and diligence. From a young age, John Lee exhibited an entrepreneurial spirit. He was drawn to the idea of financial success and independence, driven by his desire to uplift his family's circumstances and make a positive impact. Throughout his teenage years, he sought out various opportunities to learn about business and investments.



By the time John Lee reached his early twenties, he had already dabbled in a few business ventures, testing his ideas and learning valuable lessons along the way. His determination and willingness to take risks eventually paid off when, at the age of 27, he achieved the milestone of becoming a millionaire. This initial success marked a turning point in his life and gave him the platform to pursue his passion for helping others achieve financial prosperity. Recognizing the power of his own journey, John Lee shifted his focus toward educating and mentoring individuals who were interested in wealth creation and management. Drawing from his personal experiences, he began to share his insights through seminars, workshops, books, and online resources. His unique background as the son of immigrants resonated with many, as he demonstrated that anyone, regardless of their beginnings, could attain financial success through dedication and strategic planning.



Answer: 



This was written by ChatGPT based on the following 30-word prompt: “biography John Lee son of Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong grew up in Manchester made his first million by age 27 now helps others learn about wealth creation and management.”



This article originally appeared in the January/February 2024 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photography by Ann Landstrom.

Entrepreneur, motivational speaker and business coach John Lee explains why he’s fully embracing AI—and five tools you need to do the same.

Entrepreneur, motivational speaker and business coach John Lee explains why he’s fully embracing AI—and five tools you need to do the same. | SUCCESS

Why Entrepreneur John Lee Is Cloning Himself with AI

Why Entrepreneur John Lee Is Cloning Himself with AI | SUCCESS

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Jon Levy found out he was dyslexic as a kid. As a result, he says, “I didn’t really have the option to read, write and take notes in the same way as everybody else. I had to develop different ways and different skills to cope.” To compensate, he says, he developed social skills.



A couple of decades later, Levy applied those social skills to create the <a href="https://www.influence.rs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Influencers Dinner</a>, a now-global series of events that brings together 12 guests to cook and dine together, during which they guess each other’s careers. Guests have ranged from Olympians and celebrities to scientists, Nobel laureates, artists and corporate executives. There have been more than 300 Influencers Dinners in 11 cities and four countries to date.



These events are just one avenue of influence for Levy, the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Invited-Science-Cultivating-Influence-ebook/dp/B08FK8X7S2/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1693950906&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">You’re Invited: The Art and Science of Connection, Trust, and Belonging</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/AM-Principle-Discover-Science-Adventure/dp/1942872690/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1693951021&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The 2 AM Principle: Discover the Science of Adventure</a>. As a researcher with Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Levy led a <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02010/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2019 study</a> that analyzed a dataset of more than 421 million potential matches between users of an online dating app to predict “synchronization and similarity in dating preferences.”



Applied behavioral science, Levy notes, is all about translating research about behavior and applying it to real-world scenarios—something that can help leaders thrive. Here’s how.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jon-levy-s-tips-for-becoming-a-better-leader">Jon Levy's tips for becoming a better leader</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-start-by-understanding-human-behavior">Start by understanding human behavior</h3>



“There’s a lot of theories about how people behave,” Levy says. “And a lot of that is actually really inaccurate.” But, Levy notes, “When we understand how human beings behave, two or three things occur.” One is we can cut through “unrealistic expectations.”



For example, Levy says “expecting all of us to wake up every day at 6 a.m. and journal and then workout and then meditate for 20 minutes,” means some of us wouldn’t have any time to work.



Another benefit to understanding human behavior is <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/12-work-methods-that-will-skyrocket-your-productivity/">maximizing productivity</a>. Levy says knowledge workers—people whose value is in their thoughts and what they create with them, such as programmers, architects and writers—max out at about five hours a day of solidly productive work. “If we know that, then let’s let people get their work done when they’re productive, and then let’s do the meetings during the times that they’re not going to be so productive.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-then-foster-connections">Then foster connections</h3>



Understanding human behavior can impact how companies go about recruitment and retention. “We know that if you have a significant number of friendships or relationships at work, you’re going to stick around,” Levy says.



<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-build-a-thriving-culture-at-work/">Culture programs</a> are “something that brings the company’s values to life.” They can be wide-ranging: team volunteer days, employee awards, icebreaker activities and games that help people get to know each other, or Slack channels for shared interests, like pets or babies.



“I work with companies where we develop conversations, games and activities that are completely turnkey,” Levy says. “So, if a manager has somebody new join the team, you just pick from a list… and then you have an entire game that lets people get to know each other in a really significant way in 15 to 30 minutes.”



Levy says these initiatives allow for “small units of interaction that facilitate belonging,” generating trust and connection, and improving ideas and workflow.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-continue-to-build-trust">Continue to build trust</h3>



The vulnerability loop is a concept from Harvard Business School in which employees mutually signal and acknowledge <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-lead-with-vulnerability-and-why-its-important/">vulnerability</a> with one another, by sharing a weakness, a worry or a lack of knowledge.



When this happens, both individuals know they’re safe. “Good culture programs allow for vulnerability loops like that to occur, consistent with the values of the organization,” Levy says, adding that they also allow for better ideas. “Suddenly, we can improve the ideas [because] you’re not worried that I’m going to punish you…. We have a base level of trust.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-always-share-success-says-jon-levy-nbsp">Always share success, says Jon Levy&nbsp;</h3>



In You’re Invited, Levy writes out an “Influence Equation” based on the idea that “our influence is a by-product of who we are connected to… and the sense of community we share.”



It is useful to understand the practicality and advantages of community as well as our basic human need for it. Levy points to studies like the <a href="https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harvard Study of Adult Development</a>, which shows you will live longer and better with strong social ties and solid social integration, measured in the number of people you come into contact with on a regular basis or your community.



“The predominant narrative that Western culture likes to sell is this individual superstar who has it all together. And, frankly, it is so unrealistic and so stupid,” Levy says. “If you’re successful, why wouldn’t you want to bring some people along for the ride? Even if you could do it alone, couldn’t you be so much more effective with the right group of people around you?”&nbsp;



This article originally appeared in the Sept/Oct 2023 <a href="https://store.success.com/by-media/success-magazine-sept-oct-2023-kris-carr.html">issue of SUCCESS magazine</a>. Photo courtesy of Jon Levy.

Behavioral scientist Jon Levy shares four ways that understanding human behavior can help leaders build a better work culture.

Behavioral scientist Jon Levy shares four ways that understanding human behavior can help leaders build a better work culture. | SUCCESS

Jon Levy Says Good Leadership Starts with Understanding Human Behavior

Better Leadership Through Behavioral Science? Jon Levy Explains | SUCCESS

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When Gaby Natale looks back and connects the dots of her own life story, she sees a thread uniting her experiences. “As a journalist, as an immigrant, as an author, as a speaker, the commonality is a story of breaking barriers,” she says.



The Argentina-born author, entrepreneur and popular <a href="https://twitter.com/superlatinashow?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SuperLatina</a> TV show host and executive producer calls this breaking of barriers part of the “pioneer spirit.” She often says that being a pioneer is the story of her own life.



“As a journalist, I am the first Latina to win three daytime Emmys back-to-back,” she explains. “As an author, I am the first Latina author published by the Leadership Division of HarperCollins, and as a speaker, way, way too many times I am either the only woman or the only Latina or the only woman of color, and for sure the only one with this accent.”



“It was a long road of <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/embrace-what-makes-you-different/">embracing my uniqueness</a> and celebrating my uniqueness,” Natale reflects. “The more comfortable I felt in my own skin and <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/6-steps-to-discover-your-true-self/">with who I was</a>, the better things went for me.”



<h2 id="h-from-the-carpet-warehouse-to-the-red-carpet">‘From the carpet warehouse to the red carpet’</h2>



<a href="https://medium.com/authority-magazine/emmy-award-winner-gaby-natale-they-told-me-it-was-impossible-i-did-it-anyway-6facfe424d96" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Natale moved to the U.S.</a> after earning a master’s degree in journalism in her native Argentina, which had fallen into an economic crisis. Following a short stint with TV Azteca in Mexico, she took a job as a news anchor with Univision in Texas. In her book, <a href="https://amzn.to/3JXVKx5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Virtuous Circle</a>, she describes the “high profile and low pay” work of small-market anchoring as well as the four-year process to obtain residency she and her husband endured.&nbsp;



That’s when the pair decided to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/why-you-should-start-your-own-business-today/">start their own business</a>, beginning with a TV show dedicated to the Latino audience. She took a teaching job at the University of Texas to make ends meet, and in December of 2007 the two launched SuperLatina out of a carpet warehouse in Odessa, Texas with the help of a local TV station.



“From the Carpet Warehouse to the Red Carpet” (parts one to three) is the catchy title she gives in her book for what came next. While not a completely straight line, her path led to <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gaby-natale-makes-history-with-4th-consecutive-daytime-emmy-nomination-300826502.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wider renown and success</a>, including <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12503728/awards/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">historical consecutive daytime Emmys</a> for Outstanding Daytime Talent in a Spanish Language Program (2016 and 2017) and Outstanding Entertainment Program in Spanish (2016).



“So many times, we don’t put ourselves, our talent, our work or whatever out there just because we want to protect ourselves from rejection,” she notes. “The moment we <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/a-simple-math-equation-explains-why-you-shouldnt-fear-rejection/">change our relationship with rejection</a> is the moment we expand our possibilities.”



“Your most creative work will never come as a by-product of telling yourself something awful or telling yourself that you’re undeserving of good things in this life.”



<h2 id="h-leaders-come-in-all-forms-according-to-gaby-natale">Leaders come in all forms, according to Gaby Natale</h2>



<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/women-doubt-yourself-less/">Believing in yourself</a>, not fearing rejection and celebrating your uniqueness are all key themes in <a href="http://www.GabyNatale.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Natale’s work</a> as an author, host and motivational speaker. Leaders, or pioneers, she insists, “come in all forms, shapes, sizes, ages, genders and also accents, because we can all sound different. And we all bring value to wherever we are.”



For The Virtuous Circle, she interviewed Latino and other groundbreakers to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/4-ways-to-turn-obstacles-into-opportunities/">find lessons in overcoming adversity</a> and achieving dreams. “Pioneers are not extraordinary people. They are ordinary people who chose to see themselves and the world in an extraordinary way, and in that shifting consciousness is where the trajectory of their life changes.”



It’s an empowering message that might explain the emotional reaction people often have to Natale’s inspirational speeches. Recorded videos of her talks, including <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/gaby_natale_pioneer_how_to_be_what_you_can_t_see" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a TEDx Talk</a> and a range of corporate and conference speaking engagements, show people standing, laughing and applauding, arms in the air.&nbsp;



She describes audience members coming up to her in tears after hearing her speak, relieved to finally see someone who looks or sounds like them on a big stage, in a leadership position.



<h2 id="h-moving-the-world-forward">Moving the world forward</h2>



Yet Natale believes her message of embracing your uniqueness, being comfortable in your own skin and knowing that you bring value and a fresh perspective to wherever you are is “universal.” It’s applicable not just to Latinas but to “people from all walks of life.”&nbsp;



“It takes a lot of work to do the inner work, and it’s never-ending sometimes,” she admits. “But to do that work is so worth it because, whatever you do, you’re going to have a much larger impact. And there’s nothing that’s going to connect in a more powerful way than something that comes from a place of truth.”



In fact, changes happen when people do the inner work, push themselves outside of their comfort zones and open themselves up to “the possibility of doing something no one like you has done before”—at whatever scale, personal or public. If we are satisfied with emulating what’s already being done, then the status quo becomes our “best case scenario.”&nbsp;



“Every time you choose to pioneer, you move the world forward,” Natale is fond of saying. As she connects the dots of her own life story, she continues to work in that direction.



<h2 id="h-5-questions-for-gaby-natale">5 questions for Gaby Natale</h2>



Q&amp;A has been edited for clarity and length.



Q: What is one achievement you’re most proud of?



A: My resilience, because I <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/5-reasons-why-flexibility-is-key/">had to adapt very fast</a> to a lot of changing environments.



Q: One piece of advice you’d give other women?



A: I would tell them that you probably should charge more. Don’t be afraid <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/finding-your-voice-advocating-and-negotiating-for-yourself-as-a-woman-in-the-workplace/">to use your voice</a>. And start using sunblock when you are very young.



Q: One living woman you look up to?



A: I like Jane Fonda. I like Oprah. I like Dolores Huerta.&nbsp;



Q: One historical woman you look up to?&nbsp;



A: I like eclectic women. I like women who have a mix of everything, and they really don’t fit completely in every category. I like Frida Kahlo. María Félix—she was a superstar in the Golden Age of Mexican movies. Tita Merello—she broke barriers in the male-dominated world of tango.&nbsp;



Q: What is one message you would tell your younger self?



A: I would say trust more in your capabilities. You may not have the answer now, but you have the tools to figure it out.



Photo courtesy of Gaby Natale

Gaby Natale, an Argentina-born author, entrepreneur and SuperLatina TV show host calls the breaking of barriers part of the “pioneer spirit.”

Gaby Natale, an Argentina-born author, entrepreneur and SuperLatina TV show host calls the breaking of barriers part of the “pioneer spirit.” | SUCCESS

Gaby Natale, 3-time Daytime EMMY® winner, on the Power of Believing in Yourself

Gaby Natale on the Power of Believing in Yourself | SUCCESS

https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/gaby-natale.jpg