Josh Linkner's Blog, page 11

If You Want Growth, Your Company Must Have These Three Non-Traditional Roles

From the local barbershop to the giant, multinational corporation, businesses of all shapes and sizes desperately want one thing: growth. Regardless of industry, geography, or scale, a company’s ability to grow is directly linked to the inherent enterprise value.

In working closely with organizations around the world, I’ve noticed that the ones who really savor consistent growth have three critical archetypes in their leadership ranks: The Hipster, The Hustler, and The Hacker. In smaller...

7 Surprising Things That Ultra-Successful People Don’t Do

There’s been plenty written about the habits of highly successful people. They set goals and they follow through. They learn and listen. We get it.

But what do the most successful people avoid? From celebrity entrepreneurs to captains of industry, here are seven surprising things that top achievers prefer to skip:

Don’t have a Plan B. We’re taught to have a backup, but that safety net can actually do more harm than good.No Plan B means you have to beall-in and, in turn, your intensity will...

How To Master Any Skill

No one represents mastery more than Pablo Picasso. His masterpiece Women of Algiers sold at auction in New York for over $179 million in 2015, shattering all previous records. His most famous works are instantly recognizable, and he pioneered several styles and genres of modern art throughout his prolific career.

We think of Picasso’s creative brilliance as a heavenly gift. Certainly, he had natural talent. But the real secret to his mastery was the sheer volume he created. Over his 78 years...

How to Find the Best Parking Spot, Every Time

As you drive up to a crowded shopping plaza, your blood pressure rises quickly. Circling the parking lot, you search for the closest possible space. It quickly becomes a fierce competition, filling you with stress and sometimes anger if someone beats you to that one spot that should have been yours. Several laps and minutes later, you land in a mediocre spot and still have to hike to your destination.

We’ve all been there. But is there a better approach? What if we flipped it and decided that...

3 Surprisingly Simple Questions That Will Transform Your Career

In our quest for achievement, it’s easy to get caught up in complexity. We often think something has to be difficult in order for it to drive real progress. But then something so simple comes along that drives the most profound advancement in our careers, companies, and even in communities.

I’ve discovered three dead-simple questions that can dramatically upgrade your results. Easy inquiries to take your game to the next level:

What’s the one extra thing I can add?

This is a question we ask...

The More You Do It, The Easier It Becomes

For most of us, we know what needs to be done to reach the next level. If you want to improve health and fitness, we don’t need another fad diet… we need to exercise more and eat healthier food. If you want to close more deals, you probably need to make more cold calls. If you want to ace the big exam, studying more is a pretty clear path.

Indeed, the problem most of us face isn’t figuring out what to do; it’s actually doing it.

Starting at a new effort can feel overwhelming and discouraging....

The New 70/30 Rule of Inventive Thinking

The infamous 80/20 rule seems to permeate business literature. 80% of your profits come from the best 20% of your customers; 20% of your top people drive 80% of your revenue; 20% of your most productive time drives 80% of your productivity.

While this magic ratio applies in many cases, there’s an important new kid on the block when it comes to out-punching the competition, meeting the challenges of the day, and enjoying sustainable success: The 70/30 Rule.

In today’s complex and competitive...

Your Future You

As we us embark on the new decade, most of us have undoubtedly set some resolutions. Lose weight. Read more. Save for retirement. Quit smoking. Volunteer in the community. Yet the vast majority of resolutions are anything but resolute. According to U.S. News & World Report, over 80% of resolutions fail (most of which within the first 30 days).

There are many reasons for our dismal results. We set targets that are unattainable, we get discouraged after a single slip and then quit altogether,...

IdeaSpewing – A Simple Technique to Unlock Creativity

Staring at the blank page can be intimidating. This could be the start of any creative project – from writing the next great American novel to crafting a new investment deck for your startup. Maybe your blank page is less grandiose, but still daunting such as organizing your thoughts for a sales pitch or drafting an email to your boss. As thoughts and fears swirl in our heads, it’s easy to freeze up like a deer in the headlights.

How will I structure the message? What word choice is best?...

Mental Kale

We’ve all heard the truism, “you are what you eat.” Clearly this applies to food intake and how our body composition is directly correlated. Eat fruit and veggies, have a healthy physique. Eat fried, processed foods, have a sick body.

But what if we extended this common sense phrase to our mindset and performance? If we are what we eat, it only stands to reason that we think what our intellect consumes.

Our minds – just like our bodies – are fed regularly, and we consume both good and bad...