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What Makes You Happy at Work?

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A fully stocked fridge? Unlimited vacation time? The freedom to work from home? In many sectors, particularly the youthful, tech-heavy ones, these are commonplace perks designed to reward hardworking employees. But do they make employees happier? Statistics say no.

Even though the workplace, and our relationship to it, has changed dramatically, employee satisfaction rates haven’t budged in ten years. According to a recent post on 6seconds, employees often read these perks as acts of manipulation rather than benevolence— a means to control behavior. It’s a classic case of misplaced priorities: “The majority of current engagement strategies focus on ...

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Written by on Jan. 15, 2014

It’s Not What You Do, It’s Why You Do It

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It’s Not What You Do, It’s Why You Do It

What makes you like something? Buy something? What is that elusive pull that makes you say this is the place for me? It’s the big question vexing every good business person. The feeling is very hard to describe, and even harder to pin down. But there is actually a very simple answer: passion.

In one of the most famous TED talks of all time, author Simon Sinek explains that the real question every business should be asking themselves is not WHAT but WHY. In his research, Sinek found that every person can describe what they do, most can describe ...

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Written by on Jan. 8, 2014

Testing is the Key to Good Hiring

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Picture this: you’re at your computer, weeding through hundreds of job postings, trying to match your skills up with a three or four sentence job description. You adjust your cover letter to include a few keywords, do a final check of your resume, hit send. And then you wait. Sound familiar?

On the other end of this exchange, an HR professional or hiring manager sorts through dozens of applications, trying to perform the same magic in reverse: matching your experience to specific job responsibilities. The process is a mess: time consuming, bloated and needlessly imprecise.

But there is a ...

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Written by on Dec. 11, 2013

Managing People, Not Responsibilities

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Managing People, Not Responsibilities

One of the reasons I decided to create 2gno.me was to help companies streamline the dreaded employee evaluation process. Data shows that a majority of employees—from top management on down—are disengaged at their jobs, and companies are struggling to figure out why.


A recent post on the talent management blog TLNT offers a few theories. “Many managers are ineffective at managing their people,” Howard Risher writes, because “in some cases they were promoted to a supervisory role because of their technical skills and have poor people skills.” 

In a time when job responsibilities change often as ...

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Written by on Dec. 6, 2013

Correct Bad Habits One Step at a Time

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Some people are afraid of change, but the truth is, if you’re changing you’re likely growing.

Psychologists used to think that change started when a person took action, but modern studies suggest change takes place in stages.

Let’s use friendliness as an example. James might typically be grumpy in the mornings, but wants to work on it and become more amiable and friendly to others when he goes into work.

Here are the steps James can take to change his nasty habit:


  1. Precognition – James recognizes that there’s a problem, but he’s not yet connecting it ...

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Written by on Jan. 17, 2013

Change is Hard, and Always Possible

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Change is Hard, and Always Possible

Nobody’s perfect. But some people want to be perceived in a different light, or live more healthfully, or stop acting in a self-destructive way. Whatever the reason, most of us would like to make at least one change in our lives.

Many of us have made a concerted effort to improve something about ourselves, particularly at the New Year or the morning after overindulging. We have promised to become better people, to stop engaging in unhealthy behavior, or to give up a bad habit. And… we’ve given up after awhile, because it’s hard to make lasting changes ...

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Written by on Jan. 4, 2013

Two Ears and a Mouth

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Listening - Two Ears and a Mouth - 2gno.me

Demonstrating good listening skills can result in us securing successful business deals and solidifying healthy relationships. Yet, how many times have we found ourselves talking to people only to discover they hadn’t really heard us at all? Or looking back and realizing we’d talked too much ourselves without bothering to find out how the other person was feeling?

For centuries, wise people have understood the importance of minimizing the noise we make in order to listen to and learn from those around us. “We have two ears and one mouth,” philosopher Epictetus said, “so we may listen twice ...

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Written by on Nov. 29, 2012

How to Be Smart and Have Friends Too

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If you were a brainiac in school but weren’t one of the popular kids, you may think you had the last laugh when you went on to land that high-paying job. But what good is having lots of money if you have no friends?

The truth is, almost anyone can be smart and have a decent social life - you just need to realize it takes a little work to be in any worthwhile relationship. The trick is not to alienate people with a know-it-all attitude, but rather to master some basic social skills.

Follow these guidelines to stop being ...

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Written by on Nov. 8, 2012

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

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Do you ever wonder how other people see you? When it comes to our own self-knowledge, we all have blind spots. We simply can’t see ourselves the way others do.

Know Yourself - 2gno.me

To gain this insight you need peer review; input from your friends, colleagues, teachers, clients or bosses. When we better understand ourselves we can zero in on traits or habits that we can improve upon.

We have mentioned a tool used by psychologists to help individuals increase self-knowledge.

The “Johari Window” is a four-paneled grid that can help us organize areas of perception

1.      What is known about us ...

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Written by on Oct. 16, 2012

Change Moody Behavior and Improve Relationships

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Change Moody Behavior - 2gno.me

We’ve all experienced a moody day or temperamental period in our lives. We may feel upbeat for a time, but then descend and become sad or even grouchy. If the moodiness persists it can negatively affect our relationships with co-workers and loved ones.

Short-term moodiness can be caused by a variety of factors including stress, exhaustion and difficulties in your private life or with finances. Long-term mood swings often are attributed to hormonal or physiological imbalances, psychological disorders, or other issues that may need to be addressed by medical professionals.

Regardless of the duration or severity, an uneven temperament ...

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Written by on Oct. 8, 2012