Exact Staff News

Ever experienced focus so intense that you: Accomplish an amazing amount of high-quality work in a short period? Are impervious to distractions? Feel virtually unstoppable? Then you’ve been in a state of “flow.” Flow is a state in which you feel and perform your best. And it’s more than just a catch-phrase; studies validate its…

Use a “pay for performance” plan? A two-pronged goal-setting strategy may make sense for your team. In this thought Leaders post, author Mike Figliuolo explains two distinct types of goals – commit and stretch – and the role each plays in driving exceptional performance (especially when money is a primary incentive). Here’s a quick summary…

Accidents. Judgment errors. Cyber attacks. Nothing tests your organization quite like a crisis. And unfortunately, no business is immune. Regardless of your location, size or industry, your company WILL be forced to deal with major problems. So consider this question: If disaster were to strike today, how prepared is your organization to handle it? Not…

Want to make your work teams more nimble? Protect your organization from essential knowledge loss? Create happier, more engaged employees? Have them regularly shadow one another. Job shadowing is a proven development tool that affords both employers and employees a wide range of benefits. If you don’t have a formal program in place already, here…

In the workplace, why are people so resistant to change? Here are three key reasons: An “If it isn’t broke, why fix it?” mentality. People are naturally comfortable with the knowledge and skills they possess, as well as the ways they perform work. This provides them with a sense of competency, and change forces them…

Think your business is too small or unimportant to attract a hacker’s attention? Think again. As large employers improve data security with sophisticated (and yes, expensive) systems, cybercriminals are “moving down the proverbial food chain” and targeting small and mid-sized businesses more frequently. Even worse, these guys have effectively automated web hacking, using malicious bots…

You need to talk to your boss. Does the proposition excite you, or make you break out in a cold sweat? If you and your boss have vastly different communication styles, even the most mundane work conversations can be stressful. When you’re worried about how to phrase things properly, or how your boss will interpret…

Dead ends. Blank pages. Mental blocks. The struggle to solve problems is all too real. Sometimes, inspiration is in short supply. Other times, you may have plenty of great ideas – but no process for seeing them through. What’s a savvy business professional to do? Get creative! Creative problem solving is much more than brainstorming;…

Is bigger really better? When it comes to work teams…not so much. This Forbes.com article presents a wealth of research which suggests that smaller teams are better than larger ones when it comes to: Engagement. 42% of employees working at companies with 10 or fewer employees were engaged at work, compared with just 30% of…

Want to make your business stronger? More agile? More resilient? Stop hiring clones! Scientific research provides support for the very real (and troubling) tendency managers have to select candidates who are similar to themselves in terms of leisure activities, social markers and personal tastes. Even when companies have high levels of demographic diversity, they still…