Gennaro Cuofano's Blog, page 104

Social Listening Tools

Social listening involves a company monitoring its social media accounts for customer feedback direct mentions of its brand, and wider industry trends. 

Understanding social listening

While many businesses incorporated social listening in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear the approach is here to stay. According to Hootsuite, almost 66% of companies agree that social listening has increased in value over the past twelve months. What’s more, search demand for keywords such as “social listening” and “social listening tools” has seen a 22% year-over-year increase.

In essence, social listening enables the company to pinpoint exactly what it is that customers think about their brand, the competition, and potential industry trends. Tools can be used to track these conversations or brand mentions with respect to specific keywords, phrases, terms, or emojis that are relevant to the business. In so doing, the company can determine the overall perception of its brand without having to ask customers directly.

The benefits of social listening are numerous. For one, the company can create content that resonates with their followers based on what they think, feel, and need. Social listening can also be used to identify emerging industry trends and launch innovative products before the competition is even aware of them.

Social listening tools

There are a few different social listening tools on the market today, from advanced enterprise solutions to more basic and affordable options for smaller businesses.

Keyhole

Keyhole is a social media reporting platform for over 7,000 agencies and global brands such as Netflix, Google, Amazon, WWF, and BBC News.

While Keyhole is a more comprehensive platform comparable to Hubspot or Hootsuite, the dedicated social listening tool is a simplified but feature-rich solution for enterprise-level customers. 

For example, QuickTrends allows companies to stay relevant and ahead of the competition by using what Keyhole calls “Google Trends for social media”. The platform also offers sentiment analysis, location-based mentions, keyword clouds, and hashtag tracking that can be used to analyze social media campaign performance.

Brand24

Brand24 is a cost-effective but relatively robust social listening tool that can monitor conversations from a variety of sources. In addition to social media channels, Brand24 can also eavesdrop on consumers from review sites, newsletters, podcasts, and news sites.

Brand mentions are collected in real-time by a web-based tool with a clean interface and detailed analytics section. Metrics that can be tracked include social media reach, mentions, hashtag performance, and consumer sentiment.

Brandwatch

Brandwatch is an enterprise-level tool that offers expansive functionality and a price tag to match. The platform covers most social media and non-social media-based channels with features such as industry trends, geolocation, demographic data, and image analysis.

Incorporated into the Brandwatch interface is Vizia, a data visualization platform that allows enterprises to make sense of their real-time data and derive important customer insights.

Key takeaways:Social listening involves a company monitoring its social media accounts for customer feedback, direct mentions of its brand, and wider industry trends.Keyhole is a comprehensive social media management platform with a dedicated social listening tool. Features include sentiment analysis, location-based mentions, keyword clouds, and hashtag tracking.Brand24 is a more cost-effective social listening tool that can monitor conversations from social media channels and many other sources. Brandwatch, on the other hand, is an enterprise-level tool with an integrated data visualization platform.

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Who owns Hulu?

Hulu is a streaming platform that serves users in the United States with a library of content from networks such as ABC, NBC, FX, and CBS. The company was founded as a joint venture between News Corporation, NBC Universal, and Providence Equity Partners in 2006.

Hulu launched as a private beta service on October 29, 2007, inviting users to provide their email addresses to a website with no content. Access to the general public was offered in 2008. Although the platform was officially launched one year after Netflix, Hulu’s point of differentiation was that it offered next-day streaming of popular TV network programs for free while also selling access to a catalog of films and television series.

According to a February 2022 earnings report, Hulu enjoys a subscriber base of 45.3 million users in the United States.

Hulu ownership structure

Since its founding, Hulu has undergone several changes in ownership. The first significant change in ownership occurred when The Walt Disney Company took an equity stake via subsidiary ABC Enterprises Inc. in 2009.

Providence Equity Partners sold its initial 10% stake back to the company for $200 million in 2012. Time Warner then acquired a 10% stake four years later, with owner AT&T then selling 9.5% back to Hulu in 2019 to concentrate on its competing service HBO Max. During the intervening years, News Corporation’s stake was transferred to 21st Century Fox as the former company split its publishing and television/film holdings.

In March of 2019, Disney acquired 21st Century Fox which gave the company a 60% majority stake in Hulu. Two months later, the only other major shareholder Comcast entered into an agreement with Disney to sell its 33% stake as early as 2024. The deal terms stipulate that the price of the acquisition will reflect a minimum total equity value of $27.5 billion, which means Comcast can expect around a third of this amount.

Despite the deal not coming into effect for several years, Disney took full ownership of Hulu effective immediately. To that end, Comcast became a silent partner and Hulu became a division of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International (DCTI).

Disney CEO Bob Iger noted that Disney’s integration of Hulu would enable increased investment toward producing original content and make the platform “even more compelling and a greater value for consumers.”

Key takeaways:Hulu is a streaming platform that servers users in the United States with a library of content from networks such as ABC, NBC, FX, and CBS. The company was founded as a joint venture between News Corporation, NBC Universal, and Providence Equity Partners in 2007.Hulu has undergone several changes in ownership over the years, with Providence Equity Partners, Time Warner, Comcast, and AT&T involved with the company at various times. Disney became the majority shareholder in 2019 when it acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019. The other majority shareholder, Comcast, has also agreed to be acquired as early as 2024 with the company remaining a silent 33% stakeholder until its interests are sold off.

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How does Wordle make money?

Wordle is a web-based word-finding game where players receive six chances to identify a five-letter word of the day. The game was created by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle and released to the public in October 2021.

Wordle was initially intended to be used by Wardle and his partner who were both fans of the daily crossword puzzles and spelling competitions in The New York Times. When he observed that family members became obsessed with the game, Wardle released it to the public with the belief that others would also find it enjoyable. 

On November 1, 2021, Wordle had 90 players. Just over two months later, this number ballooned to more than 300,000. The game went viral on Twitter after Wardle let players share their results in the form of a colored grid emoji. In the first two weeks of 2022, 1.2 million such emojis were shared on the platform. Wardle became somewhat of an instant celebrity and copycat versions of the game started to appear in the App Store.

As the player count neared 3 million, The New York Times announced on January 31, 2022, that it had acquired Wordle for an undisclosed sum in the low seven figures. Wardle took to Twitter to explain his reasoning behind the deal, admitting that the work involved in maintaining the website became overwhelming for one person. 

Referencing the inspiration for creating the game in the first place, Wardle also noted that he “admired the NYT’s approach to their games and the respect with which they treat their players. Their values are aligned with mine on these matters and I’m thrilled that they will be stewards of the game moving forward.”

Wordle revenue generation

When Wardle created Wordle, he had no intention of monetizing it. 

The game remains free to play at the time of writing, but one can foresee that the new owners will monetize the game in the near future. History has shown that monetizing popular games has proved profitable, with Flappy Birds creator Dong Nguyen raking in $50,000 per day in advertising revenue alone.

The New York Times may also monetize Wordle with a subscription fee – an approach the company has used for games like Letter Boxed and The Crossword. Having said that, it was noted that the newspaper inserted multiple ad trackers into the source code after acquisition to better serve visitors to other sections of its website. This means that, at least indirectly, The New York Times may be making money from Wordle while it decides on other revenue channels.

Key takeaways:Wordle is a web-based word-finding game where players receive six chances to identify a five-letter word of the day. The game was created by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle as a play on words of his surname.Overwhelmed with the amount of work required to maintain the website, Wardle sold his game to The New York on January 31, 2022.Wordle remains free to play at the time of writing, but past actions suggest The New York Times will add a subscription fee or some form of advertising in the future.

Read Next: Successful Types of Business Models You Need to Know, Snapshot Of The New York Times Business Model, Who Owns The New York Times?

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How To Make Money With A Drone

Drones, as we recognize them today, were initially manufactured for military purposes. But advanced technology has seen them become a staple of the consumer electronics industry. 

This is particularly true of quadcopters and octocopters which perform a diverse range of functions including photography, filmmaking, search and rescue, fire monitoring, goods delivery, and insurance claim assessments.

Below is a list of some of the ways individuals are making money from their drones.

Aerial photography and videography

Let’s start with the most obvious way to make money: aerial photography and videography. While this method is undoubtedly more competitive than it once was, drone pilots can make decent money selling footage provided their drones are equipped with a stabilizing gimbal and high-resolution device such as a GoPro.

Many photographers use drones to capture aerial perspectives of famous tourist attractions – though airspace can be restricted in many locations. Content is then posted to social media and websites where it can be perused and purchased by tourist operators, governments, and private business owners. Some real estate companies also employ drone pilots to capture shots of houses that will be listed for sale.

Aerial surveying

Drones have also taken the place of helicopters in aerial surveying in the fields of digital mapping, feature recognition, various geographical information systems (GIS) applications, and are even used at archaeological sites. 

Making money from aerial surveying is much the same as any other business. It is important to be able to market one’s services and attract clients, but drone surveying also requires certain skills, expertise, and certifications. For example, pilots needs to fly over a specified area in a deliberate way and stitch together images using mapping software.

Event and wedding photography

Event and wedding photography is an extension of aerial photography but one way of making money that deserves its own section. Wedding photography in particular has traditionally been a difficult industry to enter with competition and the high cost of equipment, but it also tends to be the most profitable.

Using a drone to capture wedding or event shots will require scouting the location beforehand and ensuring the drone is a safe and unobtrusive distance from guests. 

Building inspections

Some drone operators also make a living by performing building inspections for construction companies, insurance companies, or utility providers. Each client in this space is likely to have different requirements, so it is important to discuss the job beforehand and ensure the drone captures the necessary shots.

This is another way to make money from drones that may require a significant outlay of capital. Drones that assess insurance claims resulting from water damage or insulation quality, for example, may require cameras with thermal imaging sensors that can cost around $3,500.

Emergency response

As the planet warms and natural disasters become more frequent, emergency first responders are turning to drones to capture images of fire and flood damage, among other applications. Some departments will have their own equipment, while others may outsource this work to private contractors.

The best money to be earned here is from city departments with larger budgets. Small, rural, or volunteer departments tend to have less money to spend on drone services.

Key takeaways:The most obvious way to make money from drones is via aerial photography and videography. While this method is undoubtedly more competitive than it once was, drone pilots can make decent money selling content in a multitude of contexts.Aerial surveying is another, more specialized way of earning revenue from a drone that may require specialist knowledge or expertise in other applications or software. Wedding photographers can also add drone shots to their portfolio to upsell clients.Building inspections and emergency response are two more areas where drones can be used to make money. In the former scenario, there may be a significant outlay of capital for specialized camera equipment.

Read Next: Successful Types of Business Models You Need to Know

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NFT Marketplaces

NFT marketplaces enable users to store, display, trade, and mint non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

While there are various NFT marketplaces in operation today, each is a platform that leverages blockchain technology to determine the provenance of digital content. In other words, each determines whether an item is authentic or a replica. Some other platforms will also use blockchain to facilitate royalty payments where the original NFT creator earns a share of the revenue from all subsequent sales.

In general, NFT marketplaces operate on a scale of streamlined to augmented. Streamlined marketplaces accommodate a more diverse range of NFTs with services that are comparable to generic auction sites such as eBay or Etsy. Conversely, augmented marketplaces tend to be more specialized and provide numerous add-on services such as curation, pricing recommendations, NFT minting, and NFT-based games.

Popular NFT marketplaces

Following is a look at five of the more popular NFT marketplaces.

OpenSea

OpenSea is one of the oldest and most popular NFT marketplaces, supporting a diverse range of digital assets and more than 150 different cryptocurrencies. For this reason, many consider it to be the Amazon of NFT sales which typically involve photography, sports collectibles, and art. 

OpenSea was the first NFT marketplace to provide cross-blockchain support. For buyers on the Polygon blockchain, this means no gas fees.

Rarible

Rarible bills itself as an NFT marketplace where all are welcome and anything is possible. The marketplace, which is integrated with Ethereum, Flow, and Tezos, has seen 405,000 NFTs created and over 1.6 million users.

Some of the NFTs traded on Rarible include art, digital collectibles, music and video NFTs, metaverse items, and domain names.

SuperRare

SuperRare is where users buy and sell NFTs from the world’s top digital artists. This platform describes itself as a cross between Instagram and British auction house Christie’s where users can interact with art, culture, and collecting online.

SuperRare differentiates itself from other marketplaces by prioritizing artistic talent and credibility. The platform does not sell meme-art and reportedly accepts only 1% of all artist applications.

NBA Top Shot 

NBA Top Shop is a National Basketball Association-owned NFT marketplace where fans can trade NFTs based on video clips and game highlights. 

NBA Top Shop is a closed marketplace. In other words, its licensed NFTs can only be bought and sold in one place. New collectors can purchase a Starter Pack that comprises epic moments from the previous season, with some packs also containing Rare or Legendary moments.

Nifty Gateway

The mission of Nifty Gateway is to make NFTs accessible for everyone with a goal to help at least 1 billion people start collecting digital items.

Unlike some of the other marketplaces in this list, Nifty Gateway is a custodial platform where NFTs are stored in a secured wallet. Ultimately, this means collectors trade NFTs without the hassle or expense of gas fees. It also means the company can help users retrieve lost or forgotten login credentials. 

Key takeaways:NFT marketplaces enable users to store, display, trade, and mint non-fungible tokens While there are various NFT marketplaces in operation today, each is a platform that leverages blockchain technology to determine the provenance of digital content.OpenSea is one of the oldest and most popular NFT marketplaces, supporting a diverse range of digital assets and more than 150 different cryptocurrencies. Rarible is another NFT marketplace that trades domain names, metaverse items, and music or video NFTs.NBA Top Shop is a closed marketplace owned and operated by the National Basketball Association where fans can trade NFTs based on game moments and highlights. SuperRare is an exclusive marketplace that focuses on talented digital artists and does not accept meme-art. 

Read Next: Non-fungible Tokens, How to make money with NFTs, NFT Games: What Are NFT Games And How Do They Work?, How Does OpenSea Make Money?, How Does Axie Infinity Work And Make Money?

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Patagonia Competitors

Patagonia is an outdoor clothing company that was founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973. Chouinard, a climbing enthusiast, started selling handmade climbing gear as early as 1957 and was one of the first to introduce Scottish rugby shirts to the North American continent.

Patagonia is somewhat differentiated in the market by its environmental values that preach sustainability and anti-consumerism. The company even collects a self-imposed Earth tax, where 1% of total revenue is donated to environmental non-profits around the world.

In this article, we’ll list a few of the more notable Patagonia competitors. While most of these companies do not share Patagonia’s strict environmental stance, they nevertheless sell apparel of comparable reliability, durability, and performance.

L.L. Bean

L.L. Bean is an American retailer that specializes in apparel and outdoor recreation equipment. The company was founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, a hunter and fisherman whose first product was a pair of lightweight, waterproof shoes for duck hunting.

Today, L.L. Bean sells outerwear, footwear, apparel, outdoor equipment, and travel accessories for men, women, and children. It operates 54 bricks-and-mortar stores in the United States with total annual sales of $1.6 billion.

Prana

Prana is certainly not the largest Patagonia competitor in the industry, but it is one of the only companies on this list to preach similar values of sustainability. The company was started in a Californian garage in 1992 by Pam and Beaver Theodosakis with a mission to make clothing with a higher purpose.

For Prana, this meant crafting sustainable fashion items for those with active lifestyles using materials such as hemp, recycled fibers, and organic cotton. In August 2020, Prana also announced the Responsible Packaging Movement (RPM) to reduce plastic waste in the industry and create awareness of the issue among its customers and competitors.

Marmot

Marmot was founded in 1974 as Marmot Mountain Works by Tom Boyce, Eric Reynolds, and David Huntley. Like Chouinard, all three co-founders shared prior interest and expertise in manufacturing climbing equipment.

The company has since branched out and now offers a range of apparel including softshell jackets, hiking pants, vests, rainwear, underwear, and moisture-wicking t-shirts. Marmot also sells insulated sleeping bags, tents, and backpacks.

Columbia Sportswear

Columbia Sportwear is an American manufacturer and distributor of outdoor apparel and equipment. The company started as a family-owned hat distributor run by Paul and Marie Lamfrom. The husband and wife, who had only recently fled from Germany prior to World War II, named their concern after the Columbia River in Oregon.

Columbia Sportswear products are similar to Patagonia in terms of quality, range, price, and innovation. The company has made significant advances in warm, breathable fabrics and also offers a line of plus-size clothing. 

Revenue for 2021 totaled $3.126 billion.

Helly Hansen

Helly Hansen is a clothing and sports equipment manufacturer that was originally founded in 1877 by Norwegian fisherman Helly Juell Hansen. With his wife Margarethe, he developed a line of oilskin jackets and trousers made from linen soaked in linseed oil.

In later years, the company developed insulation layers to wear under waterproof clothing for use in the outdoor and workwear markets. This idea of layering clothes to wick moisture from the skin while protecting it from the rain at the same time was a revolutionary idea in the 1970s – but one which most outdoor brands and the industry as a whole would later adopt.

Helly Hansen was acquired by Canadian retail chain Canadian Tire Corporation in 2018 for $895 million. CEO Stephen Wetmore said in an interview that Helly Hansen was “a brand that we truly believe has a lot of runways ahead of it internationally.”

Key takeaways:Patagonia is somewhat differentiated in the market by its environmental values that preach sustainability and anti-consumerism. Nevertheless, it is one of many players in the outdoor equipment and apparel market.L.L. Bean is an American retailer that specializes in apparel and outdoor recreation equipment with 54 stores in North America and $1.6 billion in revenue. Prana is a California-based competitor that is much smaller in size but which holds the same environmental values as Patagonia.Marmot and Columbia Sportswear are also competitors in the North American market, with the latter selling products of similar quality, range, and price. After being acquired by a Canadian company in 2018, Norwegian outdoor brand Helly Hansen may also become a more significant Patagonia competitor. 

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Brand Manifesto

A brand manifesto clarifies what a brand stands for, why it is necessary, and what will drive it forward. It usually consists of a story or collection of phrases that foster an emotional bond between a brand and its customers.

Brand manifestos are seen as a natural evolution of company mission statements, which tend to be characterized by vague and extremely general aspirations that fail to capture why the company exists in the first place. 

Indeed, brand manifestos are concise, brave, and purposeful statements that outline the personality of a brand and the impact it wants to have on the world. This allows the company to connect with a very specific customer who shares its values and ultimate objectives and is keen to support them.

With 84% of millennial consumers distrustful of traditional forms of advertising, brands must complement product and service marketing with a statement that personifies their beliefs and makes them more trustworthy.

In the following sections are some good examples of real-world brand manifestos from a variety of companies.

Fiat

Fiat encapsulates the Italian zest for life as a small car manufacturer with large passions. 

The company equates happiness with driving, car ownership, and appreciating the little moments in life:

“There are people who simply live their lives. And then there are people who take charge of their lives and live it so passionately that they are in love with it. Love that shines through in every moment and every thing they do – big or small. It is not just cursory appreciation but unadulterated passion. It is this ability to celebrate the smallest of things with infectious excitement that arises from a certain Italian way of life. It is this attitude that is at the core of the FIAT brand, its employees, the vehicles they create and the people who rejoice in their ownership – as individuals as well as a proud collective. People who love FIAT cars not just for their simple, beautiful, iconic design. But for their attitude to live big just as they do.”

Falwasser

Falwasser is an Australian range of crispbread produced by the Byron Bay Cookie Company. The company, which began as a small, home-based business, now ships crispbread with no preservatives or artificial colors all over the world.

Falwasser’s brand manifesto takes the time to personify its brand and outline aspirations for the future:

“I was born and bred in Australia from an all natural family. I like parties, gatherings, and late night rendezvous. I’m one of a kind. I may be thin, but I’m strong. I’m down to Earth but I have extremely prestigious taste. I love cheese, dips, and pates, but I also taste great naked. I’m looking for someone who has an exceptional palate and desires the best out of life. Loving me is a guarantee.”

Nike

Some of the best athletes in the world use Nike’s equipment and the company has a list of achievements that most competitors could only dream about. However, its brand manifesto does not make mention of these facts and instead focuses on creating an emotional response between the brand and everyday consumers.

“Somehow we’ve come to believe that greatness is only for the chosen few, for the superstars. The truth is, greatness is for us all. This is not about lowering expectations; it’s about raising them for every last one of us. Greatness is not in one special place, and it’s not in one special person. Greatness is wherever somebody is trying to find it.”

The North Face

While its competitors focus on how their products can help consumers explore the outdoors, The North Face has more of a philosophical focus on the why in its brand manifesto. 

Ultimately, the company sees exploration as a form of self-expression and its brand asks consumers probing questions. Like Fiat, The North Face also relates its products to an appreciation of life:

“Why do we explore? Do we simply want to go places we’ve never been before? No, it goes far deeper than that. We explore so we may know the earth better and, along the way, ourselves. How willful are we? How strong? How brave? We embrace the struggle and accomplish things others thought impossible. The equipment we rely on is more than our tools. It is how we transport ourselves from who we are to who we will be. These are life’s great moments. We do not explore to cheat death. We explore to celebrate life. We will never stop exploring.”

Key takeaways:A brand manifesto clarifies what a brand stands for, why it is necessary, and what will drive it forward. Each manifesto consists of a story or collection of phrases that foster an emotional fond between the brand and its customers.Fiat encapsulates the Italian zest for life as a small car manufacturer with much larger passions in its brand manifesto, while The Byron Bay Cookie Company’s manifesto personifies its brand with a humanistic description and future aspirations.Nike’s brand manifesto makes it clear that anyone is capable of greatness with an emotional plea for its customers to realize their potential. The North Face, on the other hand, takes a philosophical approach and links its ability to embrace struggle and achieve difficult goals with the lives of outdoor adventurers.

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Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness is a mental state where an individual forced to endure repeated adverse events becomes unwilling to avoid them.

Understanding learned helplessness

Learned helplessness is a result of repeated exposure to an aversive stimulus for which there appears to be no escape. Over time, the individual ceases trying to avoid the stimulus and acts as if their situation cannot be improved. 

While learned helplessness is rooted in studies of animal behavior, it is very much applicable to humans. Such is the power of the phenomenon that many species will fail to act even when presented with a viable chance to escape. 

It was psychologists Steven F. Maier and Martin Seligman who discovered learned helplessness by accident at the University of Pennsylvania in 1965. In an initial experiment, they observed behavior in canines that were conditioned to expect an electric shock after hearing a particular noise. 

The animals were then placed in a box consisting of two chambers partitioned by a low barrier, with the floor of one chamber electrified. Despite an easy route over the small barrier to the non-electrified chamber, no animal attempted to escape.

When does learned helplessness occur?

Learned helplessness may begin in childhood, particularly if a child receives inadequate or inappropriate care. Children with a history of improper care, such as those in institutions or unstable family environments, are particularly susceptible. 

Symptoms that can persist into adulthood include low self-esteem, low motivation, an ability to ask for help, low expectations of success, and the tendency to attribute success to factors outside one’s control.

In adults, smokers who have tried to quit multiple times and failed may accept their lot and continue smoking. The same is true for those who have tried to lose weight through exercise. Unsurprisingly, learned helplessness is linked with depression, maladaptive perfectionism, emotional exhaustion, cynicism, various phobias, loneliness, and shyness.

How to overcome learned helplessness

Learned helplessness, as the name suggests, is a learned trait that no one is born with. This means it can be unlearned.

How is this achieved? Before we list some solutions, it is important to reiterate that learned helplessness is a form of conditioning. This means human behavior is learned from environmental responses and associations. In simple terms, an individual who is rewarded for a behavior is likely to repeat it, while those that are punished are less likely repeat the behavior.

Overcoming learned helplessness means unlearning these predominantly subconscious responses. This can be done in the following two ways which incorporate aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Adopt an optimistic explanatory style 

In the first solution, the individual can alter the way they look at the causes of events in their life. This is the classic “glass half full” descriptor that many use to reference optimistic people. 

For example, a pessimist who fails to deliver an effective sales presentation will criticize their ability or self-worth and predict the situation will reoccur in the future. An optimist, on the other hand, may view the poor performance as due to a lack of sleep that can be prevented in the future by simply going to bed earlier. 

Use the ABC method

The ABC method was developed by Seligman together with colleague Albert Ellis as a more flexible antidote to the negativity of learned helplessness. Below is the five-step process:

Adversity (A) – the individual starts by describing the event without emotion, evaluation, or criticism.Belief (B) – how was the adverse event interpreted? In other words, what were the beliefs the individual defaulted to?Consequence (C) – what were the actions or emotions that resulted from these beliefs? This requires a level of introspection that some may be uncomfortable with.Disputation (D) – is there scope to dispute these conditioned responses? What are the potential consequences of acting conditionally? Here, the individual should also think about the benefits of not acting in a conditioned or impulsive way. Energization (E) – the fifth step only occurs when the individual has successfully disputed their conditioned response. To increase the odds that the new behavior becomes habitual, the individual should take the time to celebrate their win and enjoy the associated benefits.Key takeaways:Learned helplessness is a psychological phenomenon where humans are conditioned to expect pain or discomfort that they cannot escape.Learned helplessness may begin in childhood, particularly if a child receives inadequate or inappropriate care. In adulthood, it is often associated with various additions and is linked with a raft of mental disorders.Overcoming learned helplessness means unlearning the predominantly subconscious responses that underpin the phenomenon. Two possible solutions include the adoption of a more optimistic explanatory stale and the ABC method.

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Pickle Jar Theory

The pickle jar theory is a time management framework that prioritizes responsibilities and tasks in a particular order. The theory was developed in 2002 by author and proactive scheduler Jeremy Wright. Therefore, the pickle jar theory is a visual metaphor that assists in better time management.

Understanding the pickle jar theory

To understand the pickle jar theory, first imagine an empty pickle jar in which a few rocks are placed. Three rocks may be all it takes to fill the jar, but then imagine that you are asked to add pebbles to the jar which occupy the spaces between the rocks.

When you believe the jar is full of rocks and pebbles, consider a scenario where you are then asked to add sand. How much sand could you fit in the spaces between the rocks and pebbles? When the sand has been filled to the brim, fill the pickle jar with water to see how much free space remains.

In the context of time management, the rocks represent priorities and the pebbles represent enjoyable activities. Sand, on the other hand, represents the activities we have to do, while the water represents everything else.

Note that the pickle jar theory does not argue that any of the elements added to the jar are necessarily good or bad. However, it does preach the idea of balance. In other words, we must make time for everything in our lives while also meeting our responsibilities. 

To do this, we can fill the jar with various tasks and activities with special care given to the order in which they are added. 

A closer look at the elements of the pickle jar theory

In this section, let’s take a closer look at each of the four elements:

Rocks – large projects or tasks that may have serious consequences if not completed on time and within budget. These are tasks that, in general, only you can complete.Pebbles – smaller tasks that must be dealt with daily such as answering phones, responding to emails, or scheduling meetings.Sand – more trivial activities such as coffee breaks or checking social media.Water – this constitutes family life, private life, and other activities that may or may not provide an environment conducive to relaxation, meaning, or personal development.The implications of the pickle jar theory

In the introduction, we touched on the importance of adding elements to the jar in the correct order. Imagine once more that we reverse the order and add the sand and water first. How many pebbles and rocks could then be added? Not very many, if any at all.

In a workplace scenario, sand and water are the tasks that consume our time and prevent more meaningful work from being completed. This causes us to become unproductive.

Therefore, it stands to reason that productivity can be increased by adding the rocks first and tackling the most important tasks as a matter of priority. For most employees, this will be three or four tasks per day. Then (and only then) should less important tasks be tackled.

Key takeaways:The pickle jar theory is a time management framework that prioritizes responsibilities and tasks in a particular order. It was developed in 2002 by author and proactive scheduler Jeremy Wright.The four elements of the pickle jar theory are rocks, pebbles, sand, and water. The theory does not define these elements as either positive or negative, but it does maintain that they be added to the jar in the correct order. When employees add sand and water to the jar first, they will find that there is less time for more important workplace activities. Productivity then suffers as a result.

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Anger Management Techniques

Anger is a natural human emotion that is felt in response to difficult situations. Many of these situations arise in the workplace where differences of opinion or stress resulting from excessive workloads are common. 

Workplace anger has the potential to harm both the organization and its employees, causing a toxic company culture and serious health issues such as depression, heart disease, insomnia, and severe headaches that cause productivity loss. Therefore, it is important to be able to manage anger when it arises.

How is this achieved? Anger management techniques endeavor to reduce the emotions and associated physiological arousal that occurs in particular situations. The rest of this article will be devoted to explaining some common anger management techniques.

Build an appropriate culture

Positive corporate culture is not just about teams of employees working collaboratively and recognizing achievements. Emotions are inevitable in the workplace, so it is important to acknowledge them when they arise instead of letting them fester.

The best workplace cultures manage anger in the workplace with an approach that is systematic, comprehensive, and continuous. The health and wellness of every employee is considered, with stress and anger management courses offered to high-risk individuals. Companies can also improve their recruitment practices to hire employees with the appropriate personality traits, though this is not always foolproof.

Establish proper disciplinary procedures

Most organizations contain employees who are resistant to change and are not at all influenced by colleagues who set a good example. This is why it is so important to establish proper disciplinary procedures. Like company culture, these procedures should be systematic and comprehensive. But they should also be consistent. That is, each employee should be held accountable for their actions irrespective of rank, title, or seniority.

When employees understand that there are consequences to their emotional outbursts, they are less likely to become angry in the first place. The consistency we mentioned earlier also sends a message to employees that no one is beyond reproach. Training can also be provided to establish or reinforce appropriate standards of conduct within the workplace.

Mindfulness meditation

On a more personal level, an employee can use mindfulness meditation to determine the cause of their anger and detach from it. When we become mindful of our anger, we do not deny, suppress, or avoid it. What’s more, we do not let it control the actions that often cause harm to ourselves or our colleagues.

When we find ourselves in a heightened emotional situation, we first use mindfulness to recognize that anger is occurring. However, we do not fuel the fire with stories about how we are undervalued or have been wronged by others in the past. To prevent the situation escalating, mindfulness calls on us to shift our attention to the body and our immediate surroundings. We can identify parts of the body that are experiencing neutral or even pleasant sensations and repeat the process for the sights and sounds in our environment. When employees devote their attention to these stimuli for a few minutes, they will find that anger-inducing emotions subside. Most will also find themselves better prepared to deal with future situations.

Cultivate empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand what another person is feeling or experiencing and is a critical soft skill that facilitates healthy relationships inside and outside the workplace. 

Empathy helps leaders manage subordinates from a diverse range of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, or departments. Those who possess empathy can react to sometimes stressful situations with compassion and do not create conflict by forcing their will on others.

Empathy also protects us from becoming reactive ourselves. When the ire of someone else is directed toward us, we do not take it personally. In many cases, we can recognize that the individual is behaving subconsciously according to deep-seated issues and personality traits based on past experiences.

Key takeaways:Anger management endeavors to reduce the emotions and associated physiological arousal that occurs in particular situations. The practice has important benefits for organizational culture and employee health.Building a positive corporate culture that moves beyond collaboration and achievement is one way to prevent anger from occurring in the workplace. Establishing consistent and non-selective disciplinary measures is another important prevention technique.For individual employees, mindfulness meditation and empathy are two methods that allow them to recognize anger without reacting to it.

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