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When you work in HR, everyone thinks they can do your job.

But nobody wants to.

I’ve been in and around HR for most of my career, and witnessed time and again people saying it’s “an HR thing”.

Diversity.

Inclusion.

Culture.

Productivity.

Engagement.

Retention.

Leadership behaviour.

Birthday cakes.

The challenge is that your most public facing work seems fun, easy, even trivial.

Yet behind the scenes a different type of work goes on. Deeply personal, life changing and confidenti...

Adding one simple word can make you more persuasive.

In a famous 1978 Harvard University study, a researcher would attempt to cut in line to copy some pages at the library.

In some cases they said: “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?”  

In others, they asked the same thing except for adding a simple word. 

And this simple word made it 50% more likely they would be allowed to cut the line.

Here’s what they said.

 “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox ...

Famously, the microwave was meant to save us hours of labour. Before that, washing machines.

But guess what? Abhorring a vacuum, our time was filled.

Right now, the technology promising to save us hours is AI.

Lawyers, accountants, marketers, we can outsource our transactional work. And we are.

But what then?

Why will people want to work with you instead of AI?

What makes you different? Valuable?

People skills.

Your ability to engage, persuade, refuse, refute.

👉 Imagine if instead of...

One of the projects I cared most about was a massive flop.

I called it the User Shoes program, a way for me and my fellow product managers to visit consumers in their homes each month. 

It was ethnographic-research lite, where the objective was to expand our perspective by seeing how real people were using our products in the real world.

Knowing the corporate politics of the situation, I invited our sister brand to include a team member in the pilot program. 

What a mistake.

She came. She s...

Five emerging issues that small business owners are struggling with right now?

That’s what I asked ChatGPT.

The unsurprising result?

It came back with issues that are NOT in fact emerging. They’re not new. They are not of this time, specifically.

And that’s because not as much changes as we think. 

The fundamentals of running a business stay the same.

So, what were the five issues ChatGPT listed?

1. Financial management - being able to manage cash flow and budget
2. Future planning - being a...

When it comes to influencing behaviour of customers and colleagues, there are a lot of things you can do. But there’s also a lot of things you shouldn’t do.
 

1. Don’t make things pretty, make them effective

Too many businesses prioritise aesthetic over efficacy.

For example, websites with call-to-action buttons that match their brand. I get it! Brand guidelines are important. We want our businesses to look well considered and professional.

The problem when everything matches is that nothing ...

Are you providing too much detail or not enough?

People say they want information, right? But what's the right level of information to share?

Behavioural expert Bri Williams shares how to approach the issue of information, including why people think they need it and why they actually do.

More about Just Do This: www.briwilliams.com/about-just-do-this

The number of people you are influencing (one Vs. many), and how familiar they are can radically alter how you approach the task.

When it comes to influencing groups, the biggest upside is scale — the sheer weight of numbers. However, you will have to manage dynamics within the group and the tendency for freeloading, which is when people feel they can hide behind the efforts of others.

Individuals have the advantage of heightened engagement — it’s harder for them to hide. However, it can...

I hate selling.

Now, that's a problem if you are someone like me who runs their own business, or you're in a role that requires you to bring in the dollars.

Or maybe you are trying to 'sell' your credentials in a job interview or sell the benefits of a new project?

Bottomline, how to sell if you don't like selling?

In this video I explain how to think differently about selling, and the ONLY three reasons people don't buy.

This is a sample of content from my Just Do This membership program. ...

How to overcome the biggest objection of all?

I’m not talking about price!

I’m talking about incumbency.

The ‘we’re fine with what we’ve got’ or what we’re doing as your customer swats you away, like an annoying little fly.

In my latest video I explain what to say to get your customer's attention and listen to what you have to say.

This is a sample of content from my Just Do This membership program. Find out how you can join here.