Modern Worker

Modern Worker is a conversation catalyst for the workplace of today and tomorrow, fueled by curiosity and coffee.A misslujo project. #collaboration / #creativity / #culture / #technology / #worklife

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At TED 2015, Bill Gross shares this pause-giving finding about the key factors in success. Couple with Alan Watts on the art of timing. 

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Culture is defined by the collective workforce, and it’s constantly in a state of flux.

Jeff Waldman, Stratify

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Resume, You Are Fired!

Dump the Resume on Forbes is a goldmine of hiring wisdom. 

“...it’s important each candidate can articulate his/her thoughts openly and confidently.” -Joris Luijke, Squarespace

“..a combination of open-mindedness and willingness to un-know what they know.” -Beth Ann Kaminkow, Westfield Corporation

“A know-it-all has expertise and they stop listening and don’t take advice. We are looking for a learn-it-all...” - Jeff Vijungco, Adobe

In a nutshell: candidates should know what they know, be open to what they don’t, and should communicate both - confidently. 

More here, people.

[modernworker]

Poets have never used the word balance, for good reason. First of all, it is too obvious and therefore untrustworthy; it is also a deadly boring concept and seems to speak as much to being stuck and immovable, as much as to harmony. There is also the sense of unbalancing that must take place in order to push a person into a new and larger set of circumstances.

[…]

The current understanding of work-life balance is too simplistic. People find it hard to balance work with family, family with self, because it might not be a question of balance. Some other dynamic is in play, something to do with a very human attempt at happiness that does not quantify different parts of life and then set them against one another. We are collectively exhausted because of our inability to hold competing parts of ourselves together in a more integrated way.

-David Whyte from The Three Marriages: Reimagining Work, Self and Relationship

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HOW TECHNOLOGY IS SHAPING THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE aka a badass infographic. 

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Technology has revolutionized the ways in which we communicate. It has also increased the speed of these communications. And the faster we’re able to communicate, we’re empowered to get more done, whether across the street or across an ocean.

Read more on the future of work and collaboration from the Cisco blog →

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"The solution to these lop-sided meetings is brainwriting, instead of brainstorming. Thompson describes brainwriting as 'the simultaneous written generation of ideas.'”

A rad idea that promotes REAL WORKPLACE COLLABORATION via 99u

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Julia Hartz of Evenbrite on company culture from Inc. 

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AN EQUATION FOR WORK-LIFE BALANCE: 

Nourish Your Body + Get Enough Sleep + Take Time to Get Clear on Your Priorities + Decultter and Organize + Advocate for Yourself = ☺ ！

[modernworker]

Here we have the TOP 10 BEST PLACES TO WORK REMOTELY based on internet speed, cost of living, and oh yeah of course - WEATHER. Time to grab a bathing suit and a mai tai, my friends. 

via Nomad List

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THE VALUE OF A CREATIVE OUTLET:

"[employees] with a creative hobby were more likely to be helpful, collaborative, and creative with their job performance. Best of all, side projects are unlike whatever you’d experience at work. They’re low-risk, low-pressure, and something you love doing."

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BUILD BRAVE PEOPLE. 

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"Research...shows that social engagement in activities can foster interest [in work]. In a study I co-wrote in the Journal of Educational Psychology, we had middle school students play a math-focused video game either alone, in competition with another student or in collaboration with another student. Compared with those who played alone, those playing with a partner reported greater interest in the game and a stronger desire to master it."

LIKING WORK REALLY MATTERS by Paul A. O'Keefe for The New York Times

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"I didn't fail one thousand times. The lightbulb was an invention with one thousand steps." 

-Thomas Edison

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"...we are seeing a fascinating shift in who is guiding the flow of work. In fact it is a complete reversal from top-down to bottom-up. Employees are bringing new attitudes, ideas, values and expectations with them into the workplace. These are all getting passed up to managers, who are being forced to adapt in order to attract and retain top talent, and managers in turn are passing it up to the organization, driving broad-based change across the entire company. Dan Pink echoed this shift when he said, 'talented people need organizations less than organizations need talented people.'"

from 5 TRENDS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF WORK by Vala Afshar and Jacob Morgan

[modernworker]

On writing, but also any work that requires flow: 

"The key is to find an environment that allows concentrated absorption in the task and maximum exposure to retrieval cues that release relevant knowledge from long-term memory."

from The Psychology of Writing and THE COGNITIVE SCIENCE OF PERFECTING A DAILY ROUTINE

[modernworker]

The work world is shifting in favor of those who want to do something, contribute, create, innovate, make meaning, and own their lives. Recent studies show the workplace is headed in a participatory direction that will not accommodate traditional employees stuck in Industrial Age management structures.

from Unmotivated Employees Won't Like Where The Work World Is Headed on Inc