What we can learn about focus from a professional cliff diver

What we can learn about focus from a professional cliff diverWhat we can learn about focus from a professional cliff diverThe thought of diving off a27-meter platform eight stories above open water would stress most people out but for David Colturi sitting in a cubicle invokes much more fear.I am scared of the potential consequences of a cliff dive gone wrong, he said. Almost as much as having to hold a 9 to 5 arbeitszimmer job.The California-based diver is the former US national 10m champion and was the youngest diver to appear in a full World Series in 2012, the youngest diver to finish on the podium and the youngest diver to win an event. Ladders spoke with Colturi ahead of the first Cliff Diving World Series stop inTexasabout his immense focus when he dives, dealing with nerves and how he approaches his career.On making those 90-foot leapsMost days its easy because I truly love what I do that feeling of flying, flipping, and twisting through the air, its like nothing else in this world. There are some days where I need a little extra motivation though, or the conditions are harsher and scarier than usual. Those are the days I need to dig deep, stay calm and in the moment, and focus on the task at hand.On dealing with setbacksCompartmentalizing and Self Talk are two cognitive tools I like to use when things get rough. Package that setback or baddiveup and put it at the back of your mind to deal with later. Its easy to go down the analysis road and beat yourself up immediately after a baddive however, if you can put it away for later, and build yourself up for the next immediate task, youll have a better chance at getting back on track and succeeding down the road. Positive Self Talk and just being mindful of your thoughts, in general, will keep you in a better mood and mindset for any situation.On finding the focusOne of my favorite quotes my college coach used to always tell me was, If you focus on the things you cant control, it will adversely affect the t hings you can control. Its easy to get caught up in environmental stimuli, other peoples actions or behavior, but if you stay within yourself and stay in the moment youll have a much better chance at success. To get away from all the outside noise I like to find a quiet place or put my headphones in, and meditate or visualize my next tasks.On dealing with nervesHaving a process and staying in the moment is key to dealing with fear and nerves. So many people get caught up worrying about the past, or focusing on an outcome, that they become overwhelmed with whats going on currently. Plan for a big day ahead of time, trust your process, stay calm and focused, and most of all keep it simple.On skills and mental toolsAll of unterstellung skills Ive mentioned above can be used in professional and social settings compartmentalizing, positive self-talk, meditation, visualization, and staying in the moment are all factors of high performance whether in athletics, business, or your personal l ife, all of these tools can be used to help you be at your best, and enjoy life at its greatest potential.On what he wished someone had told him at the beginning of his careerJust how fast it goes (which of course, Im sure someone did). I cant believe Ill be competing in my 7th season ofCliffDivingthis year. Enjoy the ride, work hard, and ask for help when you need it. Its crazy how fast life goes by, and itll be over before we know it.

Emotional Uber CEO promises to revamp its corporate culture

Emotional Uber CEO promises to revamp its corporate cultureEmotional Uber CEO promises to revamp its corporate cultureA former female engineer at Uber made explosive claims of sexual harassment at the company - and CEO Travis Kalanick responded to the public embarrassment by hiring no less than a former US Attorney General to investigate.Former Uber engineer Susan J. Fowler wrote an explosive blog postover the weekend that startled many Uber users with a description of pervasive sexual harassment.The widely-shared post this weekend included the detail that the company issued leather jackets to men on the team, but left out women because they could not get a comparable group discountFowler also alleged that her former manager described his open relationship with his girlfriend in an attempt to solicit a sexual relationship with her, and added that the companys human resources team declined to take action because the manager was a high performer. Fowler said the companys human resourc es representative told her that it was his first offense - a claim she later discovered was false after speaking with other female employees who said the same manager had also propositioned them.With no action taken against her manager, Fowler was given a choice either leave the team, or stay and possibly get a negative performance review from her manager, who was aware of her complaint.The blog post generated a range of responses from Silicon Valley and the tech community, nearly universally critical of Uber.Kalanick responded immediately on Twitter to Fowlers post, saying, Whats described here is abhorrent against everything we believe in. Anyone who behaves this way or thinks this is OK will be fired.Ive instructed our chief human resources officer Liane Hornsey to conduct an urgent investigation. There can be absolutely no place for this kind of behavior at Uber.Later, Kalanick said in a memo that former US Attorney General Eric Holder will examine the ex-employees claims, and diversity and inclusion at Uber more broadly.Kalanick said Ubers technology teams have consistently included about 15% women.Facebook is at 17%, Google at 19%, and Twitter is at 15%.He said the company would publish a diversity report in coming months.Arianna Huffington, a board member of Uber, told staff on Tuesday that the company was trying to fix its mistakes. Travis spoke very honestly about the mistakes hes made - and about how he wants to take the events of the last 48-hours to build a better Uber. It was great to see employees holding managers accountable. I also view it as my responsibility to hold the leadership teams feet to the fire on this issue. Change doesnt usually happen without a catalyst. I hope that by taking the time to understand whats gone wrong and fixing it we can not only make Uber better but also contribute to improvements for women across the industry.Holder, now a partner at law firm Covington Burling, is making a name for himself as a fixer for disc rimination problems at Silicon Valley companies. He previously crafted an anti-discrimination policy for Airbnb, another billion-dollar startup that took a hit to its reputation after Harvard Business School researchers found that guests with distinctively African-American names had trouble getting approved for places to stay on the platform.The highly circulated post intensified criticism of the company. Uber has had a rough month, trying to rebound from a damaging Delete Uber campaign by customers displeased with the CEOs political involvement.Fowlers claims have become part of a larger ongoing conversation about the treatment of female employees - especially in the Silicon Valley tech community.Ellen Pao, a former employee at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, who lost a gender discrimination lawsuit against the company in 2015 and has become a voice supporting anti-discrimination measures in the tech world. Pao responded to the Uber controversy on Twitter by saying, people do talk privately. Too many heartbreaking stories. I hope all CEOs are paying attention it is probably at your startup too.

Interview Questions for Employers to Ask About Motivation

Interview Questions for Employers to Ask About MotivationInterview Questions for Employers to Ask About MotivationThe following sample job interview questions enable you to assess what motivates the candidate that you are interviewing.They will also help you assess your candidates skill and ability in motivating employees in his or herbei former jobs as well as allowing you to assess his or her personal level of motivation. These questions help you discover what your candidate finds motivating at work. Every employer seeks employees who have an intrinsic motivation that is related to work. Because all candidates are motivated about something, you need to discover what that is during the interview. Discover whether the candidate is intrinsically motivated by the expected tasks and opportunities in your available job. Decide how much motivation and inspiration you will have to provide as the hiring manager or coach, the Human Resources staff or other organization representatives. If yo u believe that it is a lot, you may want to pass on the candidate. You also need to learn about your job candidates ability to create a working environment for other employees that they find motivational. Whether the coworkers are reporting staff or colleagues and peers, fostering motivation in others is a needed skill. The employers goal is to foster a work environment that is motivational and engaging for all Sample Interview Questions Feel free to use these motivation job interview questions during your own candidate interviews or use them as models when you develop your own questions. Describe the work environment or culture in which you are the most productive and happy.Whats your biggest dream in life?Imagine that you have received a coveted national award five years from now. Why did you receive the award, what is the award, and what are the circumstances under which you are receiving the award?What goals, including career goals, have you set for your life?How would you d efine success for your career? At the end of your work life, what must have been present for you to feel as if you had a successful career? Talk to the team about when you were seven or eight years old. Who did you want to be when you grew up?Describe a work situation in which you can demonstrate that you encouraged the motivation of another person. Given that you cant motivate another person, what actions did you take that helped the coworker or reporting staff member experience feelings of motivation or choose motivated behavior?Observing your coworkers, in your current or a past job, describe what actions, interactions, and encouragement motivated their best performance. You are assigned to participate in a team that has several members who are not motivated to work hard and contributestheir best efforts. How have you in the past, or would you, if you were to experience this, approach this motivation situation?In your experience, what draws forth your discretionary energy and eff ort, that willingness each person has, to go the extra mile, push harder, spend more time, do whatever it takes to get the job done?What, in your experience, motivates your best, most successful job performance? Can you give us an example of this motivation in action in the workplace? What role does your manager or supervisor play in your personal motivation at work?Describe the actions and behaviors of your manager or supervisor that you respond to most effectively?What actions, behaviors, or workplace events, would limit or destroy your workplace motivation?How have you coped in the past when an event or the actions of a person in your workplace adversely affected your personal motivation?If you worked in a management role, how would you create a work environment that employees found motivating? If your company role required you to supervise the work of fellow employees, how would you interact with them to assist them to find their workplace motivation?How do you ensure that your personal level of motivation is high on a daily basis? Model Answers Are you interested in learning more about how to listen to your candidates answers to these motivation job interview questions? You can learn a lot about what motivates your prospective employee if you know what you need to listen for in their answers. These tips about how to assess your candidates motivation interview question answers will assist you to select the best, most motivated, employees, for your organization. Do keep reading to see how to assess your candidates answers to your questions about his or her personal motivation and approach to motivating others. You want to hire highly intrinsically motivated employees who have the ability to also create a work environment in which other employees will choose motivation on a daily basis, too.