5 signs you werent meant to be a leader of people

5 signs you werent meant to be a leader of people5 signs you werent meant to be a leader of peopleLeadership is a tricky topic.It requires an immense amount of experience in the trenches to learn the hard lessons.Its common for people to associate leadership with atitle.A CEO is a leader. The creative director is a leader. Even your manager is a leader.But thats not what leadership actually is. Leadership isnt a badge you wear or a hat you put on in certain situations - Time to step up and be a leaderIt goes back to the old clich Leaders lead byexample.They are leaders not because of what they have achieved or what fancy title they have before their name.They are leaders because of how they conduct themselves, and their ability to inspire people to do things they wouldnt do on their own.A lot of people think they are leaders - and thats the problem.Here are five signs you are spending more effort trying to be a leader than actually leading.1. You use your title as leverage.The mome nt you say, Do what I tell you because I am your director, the owner, your CEO, you may win the battle, but youve yperit the war.You are no longer leading by example, and are instead trying to inspire through hierarchy.That may instigate action in the moment, but it will cause resentment down theroad.Just because you are in a certain position commonly associated with being a leader does not automatically result in leadership.2. You point the finger instead of pulling thethumb.A great leader knows that, at the end of the day, it all comes back around.If your employee or your business partner makes a mistake, yes, on some level they are accountable, but on another level their mistake may have been the result of a process or a request that you put forward.The truth is, it really doesnt matter how or why something goes wrong - thingshappen.What matters is how you, as a leader, react and move forward. And if you point out everyone elses mistakes without ever acknowledging your own role in the equation, the people around you will feel alienated.3. You are emotionally inconsistent.As an employee, there is nothing worse than not knowing whether today is a good day or a bad day.What prohibits great work and dramatically increases execution time is having to worry or wonder what sort of emotional reaction you are going to get from your leader.It may be that on some days, a very complicated question is handled with ease, and on other days, the simplest of questions throws the person into a fit of rage.These emotional inconsistencies are what create chaos in an bro or work setting because nobody knows what to expect.As a leader, you are the rock, the foundation upon which it all co-exists and operates.Its a lot to carry, but that is why you are the leader. Deal with it.4. You dont keep yourword.Nothing destroys loyalty and follower-ship faster than saying you will do something and then not doing it.Your employees and associates will begin to question your ability to carr y your own weight, no matter how much else you have on your plate.What you should do instead is be honest and admit, even as the leader of an organization or a small team, when you needhelp.There is no dignity in taking on responsibilities you ultimately cant fulfill.5. You focus on the bad and never highlight thegood.There is a fine line between inspiring greatness and tearing down motivation.If you focus only on the mistakes of the people around you, they will begin to feel as though everything they do is wrong.This is a recipe for disaster, both intrinsically and extrinsically. Yes, point out the mistakes and address them as needed. But do not overlook or devalue what they bring to the table the rest of the time.Hearing what you do well is just as important as hearing what you dopoorly.Otherwise, your employees or associates will be lost in the dark, unsure of how to best navigate themselves within your expectations.This piece originally appeared in Inc Magazine.

Compensation Strategies that Leave No Good Employee Behind

Compensation Strategies that Leave No Good Employee BehindCompensation Strategies that Leave No Good Employee BehindCompensation Strategies that Leave No Good Employee Behind RossheimIs now the time for employers to revisit their compensation strategies?For many companies, profits are up thanks in part to labor-market conditions have allowed for relatively low pay increases in the 2010s. So why should employers start worrying about whether their employees feel fairly compensated?For one, employees increasingly are feeling the power to vote with their feet. In February 2015, just over 2.17 million American workers quit their jobs thats 200,000 more than gave notice in the same month a year earlier, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report.So whether your company is fruchtwein concerned with employee retention, or employee productivity, or internal pay equity, 2015 is a good time to revisit compensation strategiesand structures. Here are some top considerations on why you sho uld regularly revisit your employee compensation structure.You get the performance that you pay for. Companies should recognize that employee motivation is something that money often canbuy. Workers appreciate the economic value of a more-than-wenigstens raise and what it says about the employers bottom-line recognition of job performance.The performance the employer wants isnt going to be sufficiently motivated by a modest pay increase, say E. James Brennan, a compensation consultant in Bellingham, Wash.Avoid pay policies that engender zombie employees. Year after year of meagre increases can cause employees to check out, emotionally.You dont want these folks to stay but die on the job, or to have them discount their productivity in proportion to the perceived pay gap, says Brennan. This really happens. Think of the cost of a substantial raise as an investment in productivity.Pay them or lose them. While most employers will keep average salary increases in the 3 percent range or l ess in 2015 according to a consensus of compensation surveys, they should recognize that talent is considerably more mobile than it was just three or four years ago.For middle managers, you might see 2 percent raises and minimal bonuses, and their bosses will say nice things about what theyre doing, says Peter Cohan, a management consultant and instructor at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. But if the people are any good, theyll probably just leave and take jobs elsewhere at much higher pay.Reconcile external and internal pay. Beware of bringing in talent comparable to your incumbent managers at significantly higher pay. Once you find out what the market entry pay rate is for your hiring pool, you have to think about what will be the impact when you put this new hire in the pool where incumbents are making less, says Brennan.Companies generally take care to make sure they dont leapfrog new people over senior incumbents, says Brennan. Internal pay equity can overrule or modify what an external offer will be.Well-informed employees are more satisfied with their pay. If you believe in the integrity of your compensation structure, you should be able to discuss it with your workers in some detail.When pay for performance is done well, employees understand more about the compensation process, says Stephanie Thomas, a research associate at the Institute for Compensation Studies at Cornell University. Employees are less likely to feel that differences are unfair if theyve been told how it works.Millennials may not keep their pay a secret. Younger employees will talk about their pay, says Thomas. So with them, internal pay equity will create both opportunity and challenge.Among the opportunities to have an open conversation about what aspects of employee performanceearn financial rewards.Among the challenges miffed employees who dont see eye to eye with their supervisors on how they have performed against goals that come with financial incentives attached.Close the v erstndigung im strafverfahren with a signing bonus? Not so much. If your best candidate or her headhunter asks for a signing bonus, consider counteroffering with a performance-based bonus payable a few months out if goals are met. And offer the same incentive to everyone in the new hires cohort.Signing bonuses can alienate incumbent employees who have stayed with the company through recent years of scant pay increases.Show me more than just the money. Demonstrate to your employees that you value them with all kinds of rewards, from cash to intangibles.Reinforcements for performance, respect from peers, intellectual and emotional challenges, engagement with the mission these are all elements of total rewards, says Brennan. People dont work for money alone.Mind any race or gender gaps. The diverse workplace of the 21st century is no place for demographic biases in pay, which often are illegal.How much proactive work are employers doing to remedy gender and race pay gaps? Not enough, says Thomas. In the years right after the financial crisis, budgets were so strained that pay equity was given lower priority.

Impact.Engineered Event in New York Highlights Excellence in S...

Impact.Engineered Event in New York Highlights Excellence in S... Impact.Engineered Event in New York Highlights Excellence in S... Impact.Engineered Event in New York Highlights Excellence in Social Innovation(Left to right) Impact.Engineered judge Amos Winter and Paul Scott, director, Engineering for Global Development, present the Hardware Trailblazer award to Sameer Mithal of Water Health International.ASME and Engineering for Change (E4C) recently held the second annual Impact.Engineered conference, a daylong event that spotlights the efforts of engineers and entrepreneurs who are working to bring about positive social change in underserved communities throughout the world. mora than 140 engineers, engineering students, scientists and makers attended this years event, which was held Oct. 11 at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering in Brooklyn, N.Y.Impact.Engineered, which launched last October with an inaugural event the Centre for Social Innovation in Manhattan, provides a venue for engineers from the private, public, non-profit and academic sectors to interact, share experiences, and learn about some of the innovative work currently taking place within the social sector. (Left to right) Bob Marsh of Inveneo with Sarbani Banerjee Belur of Gram Marg, the recipient of the Connecting the Unconnected award at this years Impact.Engineered event.The efforts of several individuals and organizations were recognized during an awards reception held during the conference. Awards were presented in five categories Hardware Trailblazer, Women Leading in Technology and Impact, Connecting the Unconnected, Companies Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, and Rising Stars.Water Health International (WHI) was named this years Hardware Trailblazer. The company, based in Irvine, Calif., provides scalable, safe and affordable drinking water solutions to underserved areas worldwide. With mora than 700 operating units, WHI serves approximately 10 million people each day and delivers more than 60 million liters of clean water each month. WHI is a trailblazer in the true sense of the word, said Paul Scott, director of Engineering for Global Development at ASME. Their technology and approach were ahead of the market, being social entrepreneurs long before this category of businesses was in the public consciousness. May ElKhattab of ARUP accepts the Companies Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals award from Impact.Engineered judge Carola Shwank, head of the Empowering People Network at Siemens Stiftung.Mariana Costa Checa, the co-founder and CEO of Laboratoria in Lima, Peru, was selected as the award winner in the Women Leading in Technology and Impact category. Checas company, which is committed to preparing women for jobs in the technology sector by teaching them digital skills, is currently training thousands of young women in Peru, Chile, Mexico and Brazil. In addition, the firm identifies software d evelopment opportunities for the women once they are trained.Linda Raftree, the Impact.Engineer judge who selected Checa and Laboratoria as the winner, said this of herbei choice Im a big advocate of diversity and inclusion in the technology space. The work that Laboratoria is doing is filling technology opportunities with well-trained, capable women, which is critically important if we are going to make the industry less sexist and more attuned and responsive to the needs, psychology, social behaviors, interests, ethics and privacy needs of women and girls. Shanna Crumley (left) and Gemma Torras Vives (far right) of Bitae Technologies, the winner of the Impact.Engineered Rising Star award, with Katey Metzroth of Futureworks.Gram Marg, the winner in the Connecting the Unconnected category, is a project initiated by the electrical engineering department at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay that seeks to employ unused UHF television bands (or TV white spaces) an d unlicensed 5.8 GHz wireless bands to bring Internet connectivity to rural villages in India in the hopes of encouraging economic growth and development. The project, which was launched in 2012, also addresses the sustainability of this Internet connectivity by encouraging the growth of community networks and formation of multi-stakeholder partnerships and by conducting thorough impact assessment surveys of the residents of these villages.The London-based engineering and professional services ARUP was named the winner of the award in the Companies Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals category at this years Impact.Engineered. The private firm has made a commitment to using the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) including No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being and Gender Equality as benchmarks for each of its engineering and konzept projects for the built environment. Tom Costabile, executive director of ASME, addresses the aud ience at the Impact.Engineered forum.While many other responsible companies also align their work with the SDGs, ARUP does even more they have established their own non-profit business, said Impact.Engineered judge Carola Shwank, head of the Empowering People Network at Siemens Stiftung. The proven expertise of their team of international development professionals makes them valuable partners for renowned players within the development sector such as Habitat for Humanity or the Rockefeller Foundation. With successful projects in more than 30 countries, their humanitarian work shows global impact.The New York City-based organization Bitae Technologies was selected by the attendees of this years Impact.Engineered conference to receive the events final award, the Rising Star Award, which recognizes the achievements and potential of emerging leaders leveraging technology to achieve social impact. Bitae Technologies is developing a Digital Backpack platform that would enable vulnerable p opulations including refugees to carry a record of their skills and education in a secure, verified portfolio.In addition to the awards presentation, the Impact.Engineered program also featured remarks from ASME Executive Director Thomas Costabile and special panel sessions addressing such themes as emerging responses to climate change challenges, small batch manufacturing, and the use of data and technology for social impact. The forum also included several concurrent workshops on subjects such as disrupting engineering education, intellectual property for technology start-ups, and benchmarking technology for social innovation a tour of NYU Tandons MakerSpace student workspace lab and a meet-and-greet and tabletop demonstrations with the winning teams from this years ASME Innovation Showcases (ISHOWs) in India, Kenya and the United States.For more information on Impact.Engineered, visit www.impact-engineered.org.

3 Salary Negotiation Tips for Flexible Jobs

3 Salary Negotiation Tips for Flexible Jobs3 Salary Negotiation Tips for Flexible Jobs1Having a flexible work situation is an excellent benefit, and its so much so that you may feel willing to take a significantly reduced salary to land a position. But if you consider this logically, youll want to repress your willingness to take a lower-scale salary. Dont give up ritterlich pay for flexibility because theres no reason you cant have both. The critical key to salary negotiations is preparation, and here are some salary negotiation tips to get you startedFollow these three salary negotiation tips for flexible jobs.Research the fair market salary before negotiations begin.Using tools likeSalary.coms Salary Wizard or PayScale.com, you can find salary ranges for positions similar to the one youve applied for and by geographic location. This step will offer you a realistic idea of what you can expect and ask for during salary negotiations. Having this range in mind during negotiations will prevent you from low-balling your salary or from expecting an over-inflated one as well.Make a list of the job responsibilities.During the interview, be sure to ask pointed questions about the roles responsibilities. Carefully consider the workload and skills needed to fulfill the role and use this knowledge during salary negotiations. Pay particular attention to unique or technical skills that you offer that could increase your salary expectations. Keep this list handy when discussing the positions salary.Trying to negotiate a flexible work arrangement? Be prepared to address the ways work flexibility benefits the employer.Along with salary negotiation comes other benefits. If youre considering asking for flexible work options like working from home or having a flexible schedule, be prepared to show the employer how these arrangements will benefit them financially. There are innumerable ways that offering work flexibility is useful to your potential employer. This includes lower o verhead, increased productivity, higher employee retention, and more. Arm yourself with this information and use it to your advantage when negotiating your salary.Here are some great studies and stats to cite when discussing how work flexibility benefits the employerHow Work Flexibility Benefits EmployersHow Employers Can Benefit from TelecommutingTelecommuters ARE More Productive, New Experiment ShowsTelecommuters Are Better Coworkers, New Study FindsFor more salary negotiation tips, read this article.Readers, tell us your salary negotiation tips Leave a comment and let us know

What You Dont Know About Resume Thank You Letter

What You Dont Know About Resume Thank You Letter No matter how insightful and well-written your essay might be, all effort is going to be rendered worthless if the job isnt delivered after the deadline. Our essay writing services have the significant goal of giving you original papers. Our writers dont cause you to fret about plagiarism as they can create new and authentic content whenever they write, which only suggests you dont need to be concerned about finding any plagiarized content or paragraphs which were copied. Our professional writers have the interest to compose your paper in an exemplary way by incorporating all of the information. Resume Thank You Letter Fundamentals Explained Folks that are looking through ads for job vacancies know the reason why they would rather work for a specific firm. What are the best internet job sites when looking for medical billing coding jobs. Be certain to get the company cards of all of the people involved in your interview so its possible to follow up with every one of them. Even if you begin a business of your own, you can want to send thank you letters to certain clients. The very first reason to send a thank you letter is the fact that its just plain great manners. Cover letters are made to complement your resume. Your letter ought to be put to use as a gentle reminder. A late letter is far better than no letter whatsoever. So, sending the exact same musiknote to every man isnt a great idea The letter needs to be sent promptly and when the events continue to be fresh so it can be more meaningful. Hopefully, you collected business cards from those who interviewed you, which means you have the right snail mail address. Be clear of what youre thanking the person for. Fortunately, there are several excellent samples and resources available to assist you craft the ideal professional resume. Its also important to take note of the degree of interaction which you have with the recipient. You are not going to have a tough time contacting us because all you should do is send us an e-mail, call us or go to our site to initiate a conversation. It is possible to only find such assistance from custom writing sites. If you met with numerous men and women, dont forget to send a single note to every person in case you have their contact details. Please dont hesitate to call me if you require additional info, have any questions or would love to offer me the job It is possible to contact me on 999-999-999 in the event that you will need any extra details. Please contact me if you require any extra info to think about my application. Want to Know More About Resume Thank You Letter? One of the very first things your thank-you letter ought to do is stress your interest in the employer and the job which you are trying to find. The follow up letter is likewise a perfect chance to reinforce your suitability for the work prospect. Moreover, our authors are very speedy regarding the job. What you do after the work interview is essential to success. A student who earns a bachelor degree in business management or company administration has a huge array of jobs to select from. It is one of the most flexible majors. Our writers can assure they put attention to each detail to be sure which youre ready to construct a fantastic reputation for your company. By making certain you have not overlooked any mistakes, you can prevent the embarrassment of appearing incompetent to hiring managers. Our talented experts also have made the very best pricing structure. Job interviews are stressful circumstances and in spite of excellent preparation we can sometimes neglect to mention something which might be a crucial selling point. Above all, consider what youd love to see in a work interview thank-you note. In the event you had an interview with over 1 person, you should send letters to every individual with whom you spoke. Panel interviews, also called a group interview, is performed by a couple of people. By following up after your work interview in a skilled and polite manner you will leave a long-lasting impression as the most acceptable job candidate. Wrap up what you have said in the preceding paragraphs and give the employer a telephone number where you are able to be reached for additional questions. For instance, you may want to just compose an overall letter, or you might want to bring up the subject of possible follow up discussions. Please contact me in case you have any extra questions. The format you select for your thank-you message ought to be based on what you know more about the firms culture, said Augustine.

Life After Federal Government Resume Writers

Life After Federal Government Resume Writers The True Meaning of Federal Government Resume Writers There are a few of the various ways to frame a resume. Convey your workplace contributions in such a means to demonstrate that youre a skilled candidate. Men and women dont show what they accomplished at their very last job. Character matters as soon as it comes to federal job opportunities. Generally, applicants can use one of 3 formats. In the end, in the majority of circumstances, the applicant is going to be made conscious of the review process status through the USAJOBS site. While developing a federal resume, its also important to go line-by-line by means of a work announcement and handle every qualification listed. Instead, tailor your federal resume to satisfy the prerequisites of the particular opening. Click the next link for more info about what to have in your federal resume. If you need assistance, utilize some completely free web keyword tools such as Google F ree Keyword Tool. Resumes are written depending on the physical fitness evaluations. Finding work within the jurisdiction of the national government can look like an intimidating job. What a federal resume does is provide government agencies all of the information they should make the ideal decision. A federal resume is also is the main element in ranking all applicants to locate the ideal match for a specific job within the USA federal government. Developing a federal resume is the initial step in securing top federal work in the U.S. government. When the applicant has a profile, he or she has the capability to apply to any work listing on USAJOBS for which theyre qualified. While the info needed for a resume for federal job opportunities may appear to be long and detailed, its vital that you make certain you quickly get to the point. If youre asking for a particular federal job, its important to call ahead to learn what type of information is demanded. When writing a fe deral resume, youre want to include things like a good deal more specific information than in any different type of resume. Facts, Fiction and Federal Government Resume Writers Hiring personnel expect to understand a very clear description of your career objectives and a few pertinent qualifications. Resumes arent translated in regard to duties and obligations from military terminology into federal job duties. So, your resume must be somewhat much perfect. The absolute most prosperous resumes concentrate on specific position-related abilities, relevant regions of expertise, quantifiable accomplishments, and professional certifications. The Importance of Federal Government Resume Writers Many Professional Resume Writers offer a complimentary review of your resume together with an explanation of the way that they may be in a position to aid you. To acquire the proper support, you can incorporate the Federal Resume pattern. Federal jobs often need you to have experience in a special type of work for some period of time. The Federal Resume can offer you a chance for the next prospect.

Customize this Impressive Retail Store Manager Resume Sample

Customize this Impressive Retail Store Manager Resume SampleCustomize this Impressive Retail Store Manager Resume SampleCreate Resume Victoria Davies100 Broadway LaneNew Parkland, CA, 91010Cell (555) 987-1234emailexample.comProfessional Summary Multi-faceted Retail Store Manager with a flair for the fashionable. Extensive experience in the womens apparel retail industry with knowledge of merchandising, staff supervision and scheduling, sales strategy, customer service, hiring and inventory control. Particularly skilled at motivating employees to meet sales goals.Core QualificationsStaff SupervisionSales StrategyCustomer ServiceMerchandisingMoney HandlingSchedulingOpening/Closing ProceduresHiringExperienceRetail Store Manager, February 2010 February 2015Expressions Boutique New Parkland, CAManaged operations of a small womens clothing boutique.Oversaw staff of 10 12 employees, created schedules, gave direction, handled discipline issues.Handled merchandising of clothing displays, made sure store was presentable.Directed sales strategies, goal setting and incentives.Retail Store Manager, June 2005 February 2010Journeys Womens Fashions New Parkland, CAManaged womens retail clothing store with staff of 15 employees.Created weekly schedules, held staff meetings, handled discipline and mentored staff.Merchandised store, directed sales goals, made nightly deposits and hired staff.Education2005, Associate of Arts Retail ManagementNew Parkland Community College New Parkland, CACustomize ResumeRetail Store Manager Resume Questions1. Which skills are the best to list on a retail store manager resume?Because this punkt requires a competent leader, it is most important to convey the management skills you possess. You can mention any abilities you have that relate to effectively directing a team and achieving goals. A good manager is almost always an excellent communicator, so it is helpful to list your oral and written communication abilities. As shown in our retail store manager resume sample, include at least one character trait such as competitive, driven, or motivated to give the reader an understanding of your soft skills as well.2. What should your education section look like in a retail store manager resume?Because many companies dont require formal education beyond a high school degree, it can be tempting not to put as much effort into writing this section of your resume. Keep in mind that you can also list any seminars you attended, certifications you earned, or training courses you took in this section and use it to your advantage. Our retail store manager resume sample demonstrates that listing things like leaderships conferences you went to can set you apart from other candidates with similar educational backgrounds.3. Whats the best way to show you work well in a team on a retail store manager resume?Although a store manager position is one of leadership, it still requires you to work well with others. A good way to demonstrate yo ur ability to work effectively with a team is to list quantifiable results your teams have achieved in the past. When you talk about how your unit increased sales at your previous company by 25% or how your prior management team reduced employee turnover by 40%, you can prove to your reader that youre capable of using proper motivation to drive a team to success. Read over our retail store manager resume sample for other examples.4. What should go in the experience section of your retail store manager resume?As shown in our retail store manager resume sample, it is best to work backwards chronologically through your past work experience. Talk about improvements you made in your previous roles or ways you positively impacted your former companies instead of just listing mundane tasks that will bore your reader. fruchtwein hiring managers dont care that you performed five inventories, but they would care if you decreased the missing inventory results from 15% to 5%. Use specific examp les and numerical data to make your resume stronger.5. How do you list awards on your retail store manager resume?To have a strong resume like our retail store manager resume sample, list professional awards you have earned to show you are willing to exceed expectations and deliver superior results. Achievements such as Store Manager of the Year or Largest Sales Increase Over Previous Year can demonstrate your value as an employee. If you have only earned one or two awards, you can list them in your work experience section as you describe the improvements you made in prior roles. You can also create a separate section designated to your awards if you have earned several. The resume builder can guide you through the step-by-step formatting process if you need help.

Notes from the Other Side

Notes from the Other Side Notes from the Other Side When youre looking for a job, it can be hard to know how your resume or application looks from the other side. Two recent deutsche post ags by people who make hiring decisions give some good insights. First, Glenn Kelman, President and CEO of Redfin, gives his take on what makes a good resume. The whole thing is worth a read, so I wont quote selectively from it. Ill just say go read it and then look at your own resume again.Then Robert Scoble of Fast Company offers advice on how to use social media tools and good old-fashioned networking to find your next job. I love his list although Im a little unsure about this oneYour blog is your resume. You need one and it needs to have 100 posts on it about what you want to be known for.I do love the idea of blogging for a career. In fact, I think its a much more valuable sales pitch than a resume when done right. But thats my concern not doing it right. Not all of us are cut out to write. You may be brilliant at your job but not gifted as a writer. If people are judged on whether or not they have a blog, thats measuring an entirely different skillset than the skillset needed to do the job. Still, Scobles advice is valuable and mostly spot on.Knowing how recruiters and hiring managers think is crucial for a successful job search. Ill post articles like these when I come across them, but I recommend that you also do searches to find similar posts. Its also a good idea to subscribe to recruiting blogs as these will often reveal the techniques and technologies recruiters are using to source candidates.

Finding your onlyness  Stop hiding what makes you distinct

Finding yur onlyness Stop hiding what makes you distinctFinding your onlyness Stop hiding what makes you distinctIt welches 1986. The aroma of my mothers biryani, a chicken rice dish spiced with masala, greeted me as I returned home from my day of classes at the local community college. So did all my aunties and uncles. The whole family had gathered to celebrate My marriage had been arranged. I welches 18 years old.Despite living in the U.S. since I was four and a half, my job in my Indian family was to marry well in exchange for a dowry. I had fully accepted this fate, but had asked (and asked and asked) for one thing, for myself that I could finish college first. I knew an education was the key for me to set my own direction in life, and though that opportunity was typically reserved for boys in Indian families, I wanted it, too. Since my father was long out of the picture, my uncle was negotiating the marital arrangements, and the first thing I asked him was if he had discussed my education with the groom. He told me that he hadnt - because my mother hadnt allowed him to. She had other priorities. She was negotiating for a house of her own, to ensure that her future was provided for. Out of respect, I waited until the extended family left before I made my case to her. But she was having none of it.In that moment, I felt inconsequential, invisible - the people I loved had heard me, but then found me unworthy of actually being listened to.Grabbing a cardboard box from the kitchen, theatrically filling it with my college books and just one outfit (but, mind you, bedrngnis my toothbrush), I began pleading with my mom I am the product. You canleid do the deal without me. Please change your mind. I walked out the door notlage knowing where I was headed, only deciding as I reached the end of the driveway to go to the local donut shop.If youre binnenseen by your silhouette, not your soul, the world will never get what you have to offer.An apple fritter and a donut hole later, I called home. But my mother wouldnt relent. Having made a stand, she wasnt going to back down - and I wasnt going to, either. Id found a place to stay the night, at a friends. Surely shed agree by the next morning, or possibly in a couple of days. But nearly 30 years have passed, and that time never came.Because of my refusal to do as my mother wished, I was disowned entirely cut off from my family and the community I loved.What was hardest to see then was that my family and our Indian community of friends didnt see me as the individual Nilofer, with her own distinct history and experience, visions and hopes. They saw me instead as little more than a silhouette in the shape of an Islamic Indian woman an indistinct stock character, a stock character with little power, no less. They certainly didnt see that I had the potential to become a businesswoman whod spend 25 years launching 100 different innovative products and working with the biggest companies around the globe . They didnt see that I would shape and win a major battle with Microsoft to rescue Symantecs $2.1 billion business from destruction. They didnt see that I would be worthy of being called a visionary by CNBC, that I would be a recipient of the 2013 Thinkers50 Future Thinker Award, designating a part likely to influence the future of management in both theory and practice. And they certainly didnt see that I could help reform community colleges out of an outdated mode of trade school to provide the fruchtwein cost-effective access point to a college education.But those things would take a while to come.- - - While still attending college - the same education I valued more than anything, and the one Id almost been denied - I landed an administrative assistant position at Apple supporting a small strategy kollektiv. One day, the team said they were holding a brainstorm to come up with ideas for a big business problem, the specifics of which still elude me to this day. I remember ho w thrilled I was to be included - and, determined to carry my weight, I researched the problem, making a list of questions to ask and potential ways to tackle the challenge.But once in the meeting, it only took a minute or two to realize no one was making eye contact with me. I was, once again, invisible to those around me but this time, it was because I was a low-position, under-credentialed admin who didnt have an MBA. And while I cant actually know if my ideas were any good, what I do know for sure is that the people in the meeting had no interest in even hearing them.Now, I know that this feeling of invisibility wasnt just in my head.In 2017, researchers Adam Galinsky and Joe C. Magee of Columbia University gave language to this dynamic when they published an article about how power and status act as self-reinforcing loops How much status a person has directly affects whether their ideas are heard. So, if youre high status (the boss of the PTA, a legacy student applying to a to p-notch school, or a man in almost any context), you and your ideas are met with greater receptivity starting early on, and thus get the time and emotional support to develop nascent ideas into more complete and robust ideas. That, in turn, leads to more results, which then further boosts your status. Loop de loop - up and up you go.Onlyness is fundamentally about honoring and appreciating each and every person. It includes us all.Equally, if youre a person of relatively low status - because you lack a pedigree or credentials, or youre old or a woman, or young or a person of color (I was many of these) - the likelihood is youll get none of the same support. If you lack status, youll likely be told your idea is either too risky or just weird, either too far ahead of the market or pass, or - the one my friends hear the most - that it is too much (whatever that means). Youre rendered invisible.Again, its not because an idea was weighed and deemed unworthy, but because it came from a person who was deemed relatively powerless, and therefore unworthy of being seen or heard.But heres the irony.Originality - the quality of being novel or unusual - is widely celebrated and understood as the basis of innovation. Yet so many of us (in fact, the vast majority of us), because of our present low-ranking status, are not seen for what we specifically and distinctly offer. Were not only often invisible, when we are seen its through the lens of an other. This otherness denies you and your truth and your ideas, it takes away what you distinctly bring to the table, and it keeps strong, innovative, valuable employees from being heard. When youre otherized youre seen only by comparison with those already in charge youre seen as different. And different, in these conventional work settings, is not considered good.Yet most of the popular, go-to books and theories on innovation - books like Originals, Outliers, Where Good Ideas Come From, or The Evolution of Everything - lar gely ignore this power and status dynamic. Dont get me wrong these works are valuable. But they also overlook a massive elephant in the room - bias - that well over 50% of people face.- - - So, how do we characterize a more inclusive form of innovation, which cant be otherized?Well, lets start with what it is. Each of us stands in a spot in the world only we stand in, with our own specific set of history and experiences, visions and hopes. This spot is singular and distinct, one no one else occupies and the source of all new ideas. It is never comparative or relative, but contributive. From our spots, each of us is then able to give or supply our bit to the world. This applies even if some of our experiences are not as perfect as we would want because they are still perfectly ours, and thus exactly right as a source for what each of us creates.I call this phenomenon onlyness, and last year, I wrote a book about it, called The Power of Onlyness.Your onlyness starts from that plac e you are born into, including your family and faith, gender, race, and even language. This is your vertical identity, where the story starts. But onlyness also includes your visions and hopes, those things you care about or yearn for, even if you cant name them, and especially if others dont see what you see. It could be a passion for education (like my early story), or wanting to use your skills to bring new voices to market, or even something as grand yet nebulous as working toward world peace. Since its the horizon youre aiming for, this part of onlyness is a horizontal identity - its how the story advances.Changing context changed my capacity to be seen, to be heard. This is how agency works.Onlyness is fundamentally about honoring and appreciating each and every person. It includes us all. First, as we value ourselves, and second as we are valued. Onlyness is the fuel of vast creativity, innovations, and adaptability. Its an inclusive framework that argues that each of us - maybe even all 7.5 billion of us on this earth - is worthy of being seen and heard and fully capable of offering something of value to the world.Yet shifting to this new frame isnt easy. Because it means addressing how pervasive bias is, and bias is often unconscious (though plenty of fully conscious prejudice is also still at play). Bias unconsciously intended doesnt make it any less harmful. For example, a comment toward a pregnant woman asking if shell return to work can take on a determinative quality To help her, she is given less taxing roles, which are actually lower-status and less-career-enhancing, and that leave her so unsatisfied that she decides to stay at home with the baby. The domineering white male who cuts off his younger colleague mid-sentence is often viewed as just being his usual forceful self, but is actually reducing the chance of fresh ideas being seen and heard, so his loudmouthedness is also his way of keeping his power position and maintaining the status quo. A boss who introduces his new employee as a two-fer as a way of characterizing that the person is both a woman and a person of color by pointing out her difference rather than what she distinctly brings, others her and sets her up to be and feel isolated and alone. And so on. And so on. There is no end to the obstructions our current biased framework creates.These often get discussed as if its about how someone feels, but whats more insidious is how ideas and ones capacity to add value are consistently and repeatedly - even systemically - being shot down.Research conducted by Christie Smith at Deloitte found that 61% of people cover this way at work, hiding what makes them distinct, finding ways to fit in rather than bring forward their originality and their fresh takes and ideas. Noticeably, Smiths research says its not just the traditionally underserved and underseen groups - women, people of color, those in the LGBTQ community, etc. - that cover 45% of white men do it, t oo. Its a new dad who doesnt feel comfortable saying that hed like to spend the first few weeks of his childs life to bond, and so conforms to alpha male expectations. Its the deeply religious person, who hides their observance in their OOO message and so tries to hide his values and thus himself from his colleagues. Its the young person who wears glasses he doesnt need to appear more experienced, as if acting out a part rather than being himself.Those who are screened out as others bear the brunt of biased frameworks, but all of us inhabiting lower rungs of power feel biass harsh sting.- - - All of this still leaves us with a problem How does one get beyond bias from others or internalized bias, in order to actually change things up so that ideas born of onlyness get to count?Some would suggest a just do it approach. After all, when icons like Malcolm Gladwell ignore the bias issue in talking about the role of outliers in innovation, one could easily believe success is just a ma tter of working harder, of grit, of using ones voice more effectively. This sounds reasonable, until you realize that an overwhelming amount of research shows that there is a severe penalty and backlash for those who speak up when they lack status. For the vast majority of us, to purple drank in is to take on a suicide mission. If not for our careers, certainly to our spirit.So how to change things.Remember when I walked down that family driveway to head to the carboland of donuts? I didnt know what would happen next. How, after a few days of couch surfing, I would open up to my dean of admissions about what was going on, and that he would so strongly share my belief that education was for all, not just the boys, that he would act on it. I couldnt foresee how he would endorse me to line up a few flexible jobs on campus a Friday afternoon accounting gig at the history museum, ushering at the theater on Saturday nights, a programming project in the amtsstube of matriculation that coul d be done in a few hours between classes. How he would vouch for me at the bursars office to get me 500 bucks so I could rent a room of my own. As I claimed what mattered to me, I found the community to whom I belonged. In fact, this community was always there, but it wasnt until I fully showed up, committed to what turned out to be our shared purpose, that it became clear that they were mine, and I was theirs. We belonged to one another. With them, I wasnt the silhouette of Indian/woman/Islamic. I was simply myself. I was seen as Nilofer, a person who wanted an education so I could steer the course of my own life.I wasnt the silhouette of Indian/woman/Islamic. I was simply myself.Changing context changed my capacity to be seen, to be heard. This is how agency works - it is the capacity of individuals to act and thereby direct their own life. But agency, despite being called personal, is not just an act of willpower, or a solo act. Agentic capacity is also shaped by ones context, o nes community. Success is talked of as if its just a lucky mix of talented ideas and hard work. But success is nearly always about the structural and social context into which those ideas are seen and, thus, actualized. With belonging, your ideas can be seen and can grow, and eventually, maybe even become powerful enough to change the world.A lot has been written about how the internet has revolutionized and democratized ideas. That it offers a new power. What is more true is that the internet makes efficient what was once laborious, so that more white males - those who already have all the power - can make money. It is this new power that allows a company like Facebook to have some 500 million people share information (for free), so that one white guy and his mostly white male board continuously make money while repeatedly apologizing and taking virtually no responsibility for how the platform is destroying our collective democracy.So, no - the internet has not automatically dem ocratized ideas. So what does it do? It enables you to more efficiently structure your surroundings, without changing location. If youre students at Parkland who have survived a horrific school shooting, you can update the phrase NeverAgain and expand the national conversation from a little school in Florida, and change a conversation which the NRA has long-controlled. The internet allows you to find, bond, and act with your people, those with whom you share a purpose - and this set of trusted bonds is the scaffolding and social structure that matters. Why? Because it enables agency. And this is the reason we, as humans, can finally make the choice weve wanted to make all along.Research from sociology, psychology, and anthropology has consistently shown that when individuals are in the position of being the only one in a group with a different norm, we will be pressured to conform to it. In many respects, conformity is not a choice - but simply a matter of survival. If we have to pick between our ideas and belonging - the most fundamental of human psychological needs - belonging always wins. Every. Darn. Time. But now, thanks to this connectivity, you can be true to yourself, your onlyness, and belong. This new capacity resolves a tension thousands of years old. Finding, bonding, and acting with your people - this is what matters. It gives us the social context to live into our onlyness. With shared onlyness, you are never lonely. And thats why it would be inaccurate to describe this as a new power for individuals. Its actually about a change in structure which offers a new pathway, so that all originality, or onlyness, can be celebrated.This social structure gives us choices weve not had before. It allows us to stop trying to be heard by a culture that doesnt want to hear us. It allows us to stop knocking on the door of the castle, begging to be let in. It allows us to stop trying to change patriarchal sexist cultures from within, and acknowledge they do nt want to be changed - because we can, instead, go where we are seen. We can build trusted networks of people with whom we can build newness. We can act as one without giving up originality. Leaving is often characterized as giving up. Weve told ourselves (and been told) to use our voice to change things. But the data would suggest otherwise. So lets try something new.Whoever surrounds us, affects us. So the answer to being fully ourselves, to offering our onlyness to the world? It is not the symmetrically balanced notion of you be you, or the supremely Instagrammable idea of always hustling, but instead, to answer the far more complex, rich, and satisfying question, To whom do you belong?- - - People often think its OK if an idea gets shot down, because that idea will manifest through someone else. But that denies how fresh ideas actually come to change the world. The fact is, you are the only one who sees what you distinctly see. It grows out of your specific blend of history and experience, visions and hopes. Your onlyness.The wildly creative choreographer Martha Graham once said, There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost.Before we can solve our problems, we need to celebrate the capacity each of us has to add our bit to the world.If youre seen by your silhouette and not your soul, the world will never get what you have to offer. And we will lose it, too. So we need you to find that social context that enlivens you, that gives you the space for your ideas to grow and have their proverbial shot.Those of us whove been otherized actually hold the keys to the breakthroughs the world so desperately needs. Thats not an overstatement. Karim R. Lakhani, a Harvard-based open innovation professor, and Lars Bo Jeppesen, of the Copenhagen Business School, did some research, opening up 166 previously-unsolved scientific problems from the research laboratories of 26 firms to over 80,000 independent scientists around the world. The new players were able to solve one-third of the problems that the research laboratories were unable to solve internally. One-third. Those are new solutions that were previously non-existent. And who were these creative innovators? The research described that social marginality played an important role in explaining individual success. Nearly 100% of the solution creators came from women and other underseen groups, what the researchers described by the comparative language of left field, but we could (and would and should) call onlyness. Because we recognize the value of that distinct spot in the world in which each of us stands.The answers to so many things humanity most needs - from curing cancer or Alzheimers, to building livable cities and working societies, to fill-in-the-blank-to-whatever-you-deeply-care-about - are close at hand. But to get those solutions, we need to celebrate the capacity each of us has to add our bit to the world.So, lets do it. It might just save us all.Nilofer Merchant is an author, most recently of The Power of Onlyness Make Your wildbret Ideas Mighty Enough to Dent the World. Shes also a Fellow of the Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management and has previously taught at Stanford at Santa Clara University.Thisarticlefirst appeared onShondaland.