Tag: success

Hard Won Lessons from the Pandemic

On March 21, 2022

In Career, Leadership, Nicholas Fainlight

The recent pandemic has had a significant impact on the global population. The most-affected countries have seen their economies shrink and populations dwindle due to the virus. But not all countries were affected equally. Some managed to recover from the pandemic.

The Hard-Learned Lessons From Businesses That Survived the Pandemic

1) Keep an eye on the bottom line – A company’s priority is always profit. Still, it becomes even more important to focus on the money coming into and going out of your business in times of crisis. It’s imperative not to lose sight of financial management during periods of crisis because doing so can lead to bankruptcy if things worsen.

2) Businesses can take advantage of political shifts. During times of crisis, governments may be more open to partnering with businesses or providing incentives for companies to implement better practices to boost economic health. Governments may also offer tax breaks or other incentives for companies that invest in areas like renewable resources.

3) Grow a solid customer base – One key lesson from businesses that survived the pandemic was how important it was to have a solid customer base. Many companies that could recover did so because they had loyal customers willing to put up with shortages and difficulties to continue supporting their favorite brands.

4) Diversify your portfolio – Most people are only familiar with “survival” strategies for making it through tough times. Still, this pandemic taught us that different designs are necessary for recovering from a disaster, too.

5) Keeping your employee’s morale high by taking care of them as they care for you. It is important to do your best to keep them healthy in their workplace.

6) Prepare for the worst. The Covid pandemic was swift and sudden. Though it would be challenging to prepare for an event like Covid, it is possible. Think about what you need and what you would want if the situation arose.

Businesses that recovered from this disaster took a variety of approaches. Some diversified their portfolio by expanding into new markets or investing in renewable resources; others used social media campaigns and advertising campaigns as ways to get their message out and grow sales even when they couldn’t.

Are These Obstacles Holding you Back from Success?

By Nicholas Fainlight

On February 24, 2022

In Career, Leadership, Nicholas Fainlight

Some obstacles prevent people from becoming influential leaders.

Exceptional leadership can build an outstanding business, but doing it effectively requires a lot of planning and discipline. A leader is expected to keep his team motivated, but helping them stay positive can be challenging. You also have to be able to connect with others.

Not Having a Set Purpose or Goal

One of the most effective ways to motivate people is to have a clear purpose and set goals. This can be communicated clearly to the team and the people around you, and it can ignite passion and drive them to reach their potential. Each team member has their individual talents and personal interests. This makes it hard to maintain a cohesive and well-defined team vision if you can’t unite everyone around a common goal. Disharmony can then develop quickly, which can derail projects and cause long-term damage.

No Connections Outside of Work

Team building and training are also powerful tools to help unify and bond your employees. Having an event or two can help break down barriers and provide employees with opportunities to connect and learn new skills, enabling them to collaborate more effectively. It’s possible to get carried away with too much control over everyone and over-focusing on work-related topics. This can be counterproductive, preventing people from learning and growing and increasing stress levels.

Not Delegating Tasks

Instead of focusing on your personal to-do lists, take a moment to consider what tasks you can delegate to employees. Doing so can help you get more done and motivate them by entrusting them with tasks outside their regular routine. It’s also important to remember that as a leader, you’re expected to provide the people with the training and resources they need to complete the tasks, so make sure you equip your team with what they need for any new projects.

Poor Communication

Communication is key to team success, but it also has to be reciprocal. The people must feel that their concerns will be addressed and that they can express themselves freely. A good culture is also influential in attracting and keeping top talent. It should encourage a positive attitude and foster people committed to continuous growth. Leaders can also help promote this environment by providing opportunities for team members to celebrate and motivate each other.

How To Balance Profit And Purpose In Business

By Nicholas Fainlight

On January 28, 2021

In Career, Education, Finance, fitness, health, Investing, Leadership, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate, Technology, Uncategorized

Entrepreneurs need to build business empires while still staying committed to their purpose. A significant number of business people struggle to commit to their purpose while still keeping their enterprises profitable. Businesses need to demonstrate their contribution to humanity while still growing their profit margins. Here are ways businesses can balance profit and purpose.

Go Green

In the past few years, many businesses have shown their commitment to adopting more sustainable production methods. No matter the size, every organization can play a role in reducing its environmental footprint. Surprisingly, the current generation prefers to buy green products. Therefore, companies that will demonstrate high sustainability credentials will gain numerous customers who want to buy green.

For instance, manufacturers can reduce carbon emissions by sourcing closer to home. When raw materials are transported for short distances, it helps cut both transport costs and carbon emissions. Besides, leaders who have a passion for conserving the environment can shift to renewable energy sources.

Find an Inspiration

Walk away from your comfort zone and start doing something new that challenges you. Learn from these things and find inspiration in them

Leverage Technology

Technology is changing every aspect of life, including how consumers interact with brands and how they buy products and services. For example, online sales have doubled in the past five years. Additionally, organizations are using machines to understand customer needs better. This means that businesses must stay on top of the latest innovations to remain competitive in their respective industries.

Share Your Success

Entrepreneurship is a murky journey characterized by ups and downs. Therefore, successive entrepreneurs should consider sharing their experiences with novice business people. When you balance profit and purpose, your impact is significant and tangible, and more consumers will want to be associated with your business.

Understand Your Purpose

Purpose goes beyond providing high-quality goods and services to consumers. It also means that your business prioritizes the common good of the community. For example, some companies such as Unilever have already developed a unique living plan to track their progress of minimizing their environmental footprint. Business leaders should devote time to learn about societal impact and how to improve it.

To change business operations to meet new expectations requires exceptional and visionary leadership. In today’s versatile business world, leaders who will adopt agility will be in a better position to achieve long-term success.

Leaping Across A Professional Rut

By Nicholas Fainlight

On January 7, 2021

In Career, Nicholas Fainlight

Everybody has hit a rut from time to time. Any length of professional practice of any activity will result in hitting physical and mental walls. How do we break through those walls? How do we climb out of our ruts? As professionals, we must be capable and aware of recognizing ruts and how to respond to them.

One of the first ways of leaping across the struggles of daily performance is to mix up how you may do things. Mixing up your schedule, figuring out new ways of looking at the same issues, or even integrating new technology into the routine — these are all effective and efficient ways of getting through a tough spot.

Realize in the midst of our professional careers, we are not alone. There have been a multitude of others that have come before us who also have struggled with the same issues. Utilize their experience! Read up from experts who have suffered burnout, been stuck in ruts, and somehow figured their way out of them. Start by reaching out to friends, family, or colleagues, when comfortable, and try to see how they would approach the problem. Recognizing those who have gone before us, and those that go through it with us, is integral in breaking out of ruts.

An outline, game-plan, or goal sheet is another productive way of breaking old habits or worn patterns. It allows you to chart out big ideas and see the whole picture in a way that might have not been seen before. Try putting new ideas into your outlines and see how that changes things. You won’t be able to break out until you’re ready to break in new ideas and thoughts. Take an active effort in seeing things from a new perspective.

Recognize that life works on a spectrum. What you may consider “bad” other individuals consider “great” — it is all relative. Use that relativity as your jumping point across your rut. Start small, and do what you can do at that moment. Take small steps, and steps that you know will lead you to your end-goal, no matter how long it may take. Leaping takes a bit of faith, however, that’s exactly what getting out of a rut takes. A leap of faith.

7 Tips for Successfully Working from Home

By Nicholas Fainlight

On May 18, 2019

In Career, Nicholas Fainlight

Working from home, regardless of your job, can be challenging. If not managed correctly, working remotely can become a hindrance to your productivity instead of a way to enhance it. You’ll become stressed and find it more challenging to focus on important tasks. If you want to be able to successfully work from home, here are a few tips to apply to your work day.

Have your own space

One of the biggest mistakes people make when attempting to work from home is that they do not create a separate space for their work. Many people believe that they can effectively work anywhere in their home and attempt to do so from their sofa or in a bedroom. While some people may be able to work this way, it’s much more productive to have a separate area just for working. If you have a spare bedroom, set it up as an office, or have a small corner of your home with a desk and everything you need.

Plan out your schedule

At the beginning of each week, plan out your schedule for what you need to get done. Then, review this schedule each day. You’ll have an idea of all you need to accomplish that day and can plan how to tackle it. Knowing what’s next on your to-do list makes you more productive.

Communicate with others

If you work remotely for a company or have employees or clients of your own, make a point to stay in regular communication with them. Create consistent check-ins so you never lose track of what you need to be doing. If you’re working for a larger company, it’s even more important to remain part of the conversation if you’re remote.

Stay organized

If you have great organizational skills, you’ll find working from home even easier. Take advantage of planners, calendars on your technology, and any other resources at your disposal. Create to-do lists, put everything in neat places, and keep yourself on track. The more organized you are, the easier working from home will be.

Utilize technology

When you’re working from home, take advantage of the technology available to you. Whether it’s apps and extensions to keep you more organized, ways to share files and information, or simply an up-to-date computer, technology is your ally when you’re working from home.

Limit distractions

Whether you have children at home, tasks you need to get done, or friends who know you’re working from home and think that means you’re always available, you need to do your best to limit distractions. Make it clear to your family and friends that you have clear working hours. If you have tasks you need to get done around the house, schedule those into your day or make a plan to do them before or after you’re working. It can be incredibly easy to get distracted while working in your home.

Take breaks

As you’re navigating working from home, remember that it’s healthy to take breaks. Schedule your breaks into your daily calendar; it’ll help you avoid taking too many breaks, but also pushing yourself too hard. These small breaks can be the time you get some other tasks done or simply go for a quick walk to clear your mind; you’ll find you’re much more productive after doing so.

Address Workplace Conflict Nicholas Fainlight

5 Tips for Successfully Addressing Conflict in the Workplace

By Nicholas Fainlight

On November 21, 2018

In Career, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate

Unfortunately, you can try your hardest to stay out of conflicts at work and remain a neutral party, but sometimes, no matter what you do, you could find yourself caught in the middle of work drama. This issue is particularly prevalent if you’re in some kind of management position and have to address disputes between employees or work with difficult people. Use these tips to find ways to successfully address conflict without losing your cool; with this advice, you’ll be able to resolve the conflict to the best of your ability and avoid exacerbating it.

Evaluate the situation

Whether the conflict is between you and someone else or between two other people and was reported to you, the first step you take should be to sit back and take time to reflect on and evaluate the situation. You’re going to have your view of the situation, but it’s important to think about whether you missed an important aspect of the issue or if there’s something valid in someone else’s interpretation of what’s happening. In order to successfully resolve, you need to carefully evaluate what’s happening and think about how to move forward.

Get all sides

You can wait to evaluate the situation until you get all sides of the story or you can take the time to think through it before talking to people if you feel the need to calm down about whatever is happening. You’ll eventually need to speak to the person or persons involved in the conflict and get everyone’s side of the story in order to effectively resolve it.

Remain calm

Whenever you talk to the people involved in the conflict or think through it on your own, you need to work on remaining as calm as possible. If you become too heated, it’ll exasperate the situation and make it much more difficult to reach a solution. Learn techniques to remain calm, even in the face of stressful conflict.

Find a neutral party

While you absolutely should not go around your workplace spreading news about the conflict, you should find a neutral party who can be involved in the resolution of said conflict. Human resources is often great for this issue, but if you’re in a management position, you might be the person someone else came to for the neutral party. You need to find someone who can listen to all sides of the conflict and help everyone communicate effectively.

Have a conversation

Finally, in order to actually resolve the conflict, you need to have a conversation about it. Gather everyone involved together and calmly talk out the issues. In some situations, it may be better to first talk to people individually and make sure it’s safe to have a group conversation. The key to effective conflict resolution in the workplace is to remain calm and communicate openly in order to reach a solution as a team.

Develop Professional Skills Nicholas Fainlight

7 Professional Skills You Should Develop

By Nicholas Fainlight

On October 13, 2018

In Career, Education, health, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate

No matter what industry you work in or where your career ends up going, it’s important to work on developing your professional skills. Far too many people avoid developing professional skills until after they start working, which can negatively impact their career and the way coworkers and supervisors view them. Without developed professional skills, it can even be challenging to get a job in the first place. Here are some of the most useful professional skills you can develop that’ll help your career.

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is a skill that takes time to develop and many people do not have. In any environment, being able to approach an issue critically is vitally important. There are some situations where you need to set your personal emotions aside and look impartially at the task at hand. Critical thinking is how you solve issues in business, whether with your product, services, or within the office.

Negotiation

Negotiation is an important professional skill, especially when it comes to positioning yourself to get what you deserve. When you’re up for a raise, negotiation is the skill that helps you get a great salary. You can also negotiate benefits, promotions, business deals, and plenty of other details throughout your career.

Time management

Any job requires a significant amount of time management; most people feel as though they’re overworked. However, the reason many people feel overworked is simply because they do not know how to properly manage their time. You need to become skilled at prioritizing tasks and getting them done in a timely manner in order to move on to other projects. Without time management, you’ll find it’s difficult to successfully work in many environments.

Responsibility

No one wants an irresponsible employee. You need to learn how to be responsible and display that to your supervisor. Be willing to take on additional projects or work that needs to get done. Own up to mistakes you make and stay focused on what you’re doing. Being responsible at work shows you’re a reliable employee; that opens up many more career opportunities.

Work ethic

You can have stellar professional traits, but if you lack a work ethic, you won’t thrive in your career. You’re going to come up against periods in your professional career where you don’t feel like working or feel burned out. It’s at these times that you need to tap into your work ethic and get done what needs to get done. Push through the difficult times and work hard; it’ll pay off later.

Hunger to learn

A desire to continuously learn helps you immensely throughout life. Even once you’re finished with your formal education, you need to keep finding new topics to nurture your brain. Whether it’s formal degrees or taking classes online or simply teaching yourself a new skill, any kind of continual learning helps you out.

Creativity

You might not be able to clearly teach yourself creativity, but it’s something you can practice. Surround yourself with people, experiences, and objects that inspire you. Take time to understand art and the creative aspects of your job. If you take time to try to be creative, you’ll improve your skill.

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5 Reasons You Should Continue Your Education After College

By Nicholas Fainlight

On March 1, 2018

In Career, Investing, Nicholas Fainlight

Up until your college graduation, a large portion of your time has been spent furthering your education. While post-graduation feels great because you can stop worrying about attending classes, paper deadlines, and finals week, it’s important you continue your education in some other way. You might be done with a formal education, but you need to keep learning even after graduation. There are plenty of invaluable reasons to continue your education; here are just a few of them.

Career advancement

One of the biggest benefits of continued education after official graduation is how it can help your career. No matter what your job is, there’s more you can learn and there’s someplace to advance to. Maybe you want to get promoted, but lack management skills or another business skill. You might want to pursue an entirely new career, but lack some of the necessary skills. Luckily, by continuing your education, you have opportunities to learn more skills and pursue a new direction in your career. It also showcases your work ethic to your boss and proves that you care about your job and can work hard.

Improves your mind

Plenty of studies have shown the benefits reading and continuous learning have on your mind and overall health. You strengthen your mind, which can help reduce memory loss. You’ll find it’s easier to recall facts and teach yourself other skills if you make a point to keep learning. While general learning is also helpful, you can teach yourself specific skills that help prevent other health issues, such as reducing stress or learning about proper exercise and nutrition.

Makes you interesting

The last kind of person you want to be is someone others find boring to talk to. Whether it’s a conversation with your family, friends, or strangers, continually educating yourself provides you with insightful ideas and interesting topics to discuss. You never know when some interesting fact or skill you learned could come in handy. Being able to hold an interesting conversation improves your personal and professional lives as well.

Discover new passions

You might not realize you’re incredibly interested in photography or the history of Australia until you begin teaching yourself about it. Even if a topic doesn’t seem like something you’d really want to learn about, try reading a book or taking an online class about it. You never know what strikes your interest or where it’ll take you.

Learn useful skills

Unfortunately, most schools do not teach students basic life skills. Once you graduate, you’ll realize you need to know a lot of information no one told you about, like signing a lease, filing taxes, opening a credit card, or maintaining upkeep on your home. Take time to read books, blogs, or watch videos that address these issues. Any question you might have about a certain life skill can be found either in your local library or online, so teach yourself these skills and make your life that much less stressful.

Blank white piece of paper with a small leaf on it, cup of coffee next to it, both on a table, Nicholas Fainlight blog about how to develop a great morning routine

6 Ways to Create a Better Morning Routine

By Nicholas Fainlight

On February 8, 2018

In Career, Nicholas Fainlight

No matter what you’re doing, whether you’re working full-time or still in school, it’s important that you craft a great morning routine. In order to have a successful day, you need to start off well. Unfortunately, many people do not have much of a morning routine at all and try their hardest to get a few more minutes of sleep in, even if it means they’re rushing to get ready and feeling stressed out. Here are tips on how you can create a great morning routine that improves the rest of your day and pushes you down the path to success.

Get up with your alarm

The biggest mistake most people make in their morning routines is continuously hitting snooze. Though you might feel great in the moment getting ten minutes of extra sleep, it doesn’t actually help you throughout the rest of your day. That small amount of sleep does not make a difference in your energy and can actually make you feel sluggish since you’re disturbing your sleep. You’ll find you have more time in the mornings if you get up with your first alarm.

Make your bed

Right now, you might not have time to complete this step, but if you stop hitting snooze, you will. It only takes a few minutes and making your bed ensures that you don’t get back into it to take a nap later in the day or waste time while you’re getting ready. It also makes your mind feel at peace because everything in your room looks more organized with your bed made and makes moving forward with your day easier.

Eat healthy

Most people have the best intentions when it comes to healthy eating, but find it’s much harder to put into practice once you’re competing with your busy schedule. While you should be eating healthy your entire day, the meal you eat in the morning is vitally important. Make yourself a protein rich breakfast and take time to slowly eat it; do not eat something full of sugar that leaves you feeling hungry and tired a few hours later.

Do some activity

Some people find it’s incredibly effective to work out in the morning, though this routine isn’t for everyone. You might not want to hit the gym, but do a few exercises in your room right after you get up. Take time to stretch, do some pushups, or something else and you’ll find you’re more alert and ready to face the day.

Go over your day

Staying organized is important to your daily routine so start the day by going over what you need to accomplish in the next 24 hours. Just quickly reading through a planner or making a short to-do list helps you focus and get ready for the day ahead. You’ll stay focused and avoid forgetting important meetings or tasks.

Avoid your phone

A lot of people reach for their phones as soon as they wake up, but this habit can lead to you wasting time in the morning scrolling through social media. Instead, go straight to your routine and wait until after you’re fully awake before you check your emails and the weather. The less time you spend looking at your phone, the better.

A man and a woman in business clothes walking next to one another, no faces shown, image used for Nicholas Fainlight blog on the importance of having a mentor

The Importance of Having a Great Mentor

By Nicholas Fainlight

On December 7, 2017

In Career, Nicholas Fainlight

It does not matter what you are doing in your life, you could always be improving. To seek out the help of another is a sign of maturity and can make a serious difference in your future. Put another way, having a great mentor is a real sign of maturity and a great way to grow in whatever area of life you need to, particularly in your professional career.

Mentors provide you with new knowledge

The first inescapable benefit of having a mentor is the fact that they can provide you with knowledge that you do not currently possess. They have walked in your shoes in the past, so they know what it means to do what you are attempting to do, even if you don’t work in the same industry. You can bounce questions off of them and see what knowledge they can pass on to you.

Motivation is key

Inc.com wants all of us to make sure we fully appreciate the fact that mentors can provide us with the motivation we need to keep going and crush our goals. Simply motivating a person to stay on the right path and keep striving for greatness is a huge asset in and of itself.

No one gets to climb a mountain all by themselves. They need others who to push them along towards the summit. If you attempt to do it all yourself, you will likely not make it very far. Having a mentor means that you can get over the difficulties and struggles to see things through to the end because you have some guidance along the way.

Get unbiased opinions from them

Mentors may provide some people with unbiased opinions about the things they are doing. We all have ideas that are interesting from time to time, but we may not know what to do with that creative energy. Is the idea a good one or not? Is it actually sustainable? These are questions that can only be answered by someone who provides honest and unbiased feedback.

A mentor is a person you can rely on when it comes to getting the feedback you seek. They provide insights about the ideas and thoughts you have that you may not have been able to think of yourself. Only when you hear those thoughts can you grow and expand on the ideas you previously had. Even better, when you have an idea that is not a good one, it is a great thing to have a mentor in your pocket who can tell you that.