Learning from failure and the proactivity paradox

A list of my failures: The alternative leaving email

By Mel Arrow

When we leave a job we have a tendency to gloat about all the great things we have achieved in that role, when actually BBH’s Mel Arrow argues we should be listing the biggest failures we’ve learnt from.

Arrow offers a transparent account of her first few months at the job. Here she visualises a world where the industry had a dialogue about failure that “was as loud as our dialogue about success”.

Arrow, who is set to leave BBH after nine years, finishes the post by offering six mistakes she made during her career and what she learned from them.

READ MORE: A list of my failures: The alternative leaving email

Sooner or later, the shark gets jumped

By Seth Godin

Short-term thinking repeated over and over does not lead to long-term thinking, according to Seth Godin.

In this blog post, the author and entrepreneur draws on personal experience at Yahoo in the late 1990s when its strategy was to keep users on the site as long as possible. That was until rival Google blew the status quo by offering a streamlined search process. As a result, Google drew huge amounts of traffic away from Yahoo.

However, he explores how Google too has succumbed to short-termism. And suggest this is bad news.

READ MORE: Sooner or later, the shark gets jumped

Communications: How to connect with anyone

By Gill Hasson

Being understood and understanding others is not always an easy task. Each day offers an opportunity to interact with different people from all walks of life, whether that be at work, in public or at home, but poor communication can lead to misunderstandings.

In her latest book, personal development author Gill Hasson discusses how people can refine their skills to become accomplished communicators. Hasson aims to help readers identify issues that lead to miscommunication, how to interact with people who have different opinions or beliefs, how to turn small talk into a meaningful conversations, and how to be a good listener.

Overall, it is designed to help individuals develop better relationships and be confident when communicating.

When to take initiative at work and when not to

By Sharon K Parker and Ying (Lena) Wang

Proactive people are better performers, so they’re always in high demand. But according to an article by Sharon Parker and Ying (Lena) Wang for the Harvard Business Review, proactivity can backfire and have negative consequences.

So how can businesses avoid the “proactivity paradox”?

Parker and Wang list three ways businesses and individuals can develop “wise productivity” (the right way to be productive), such as managing yourself, considering how your work methods implicate other teams, and aligning your ideas with organisational goals.

READ MORE: When to take initiative at work and when not to