Do you underestimate your ability to persuade and influence others?

If so, you're not alone. Researchers have found that people are overly pessimistic about their ability to persuade and influence others, as I learned at the 2019 NeuroLeadership Institute Summit in a panel discussion on the "The Impact of Influence."

As panelistDr. Vanessa Bohns, an Associate Professor in Organizational Behavior at Cornell University, explained, "We think people's default is to say 'no.'" Yet, people are more inclined to say "yes" to requests, based on her studies. The other two panelists, Dr. Dan Molden, Associate Professor and Director of Social Psychology at Northwestern University, and Dr. Marlone Henderson, an Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Texas, agreed, according to their research and experience.

Granted, requests can run the gamut from asking to change a meeting date to pitching for funds for a new venture. Yet the research surprised me. I, too, jump to the negative and assume people will brush off most of my appeals.

Yet whatever the size of our "ask," we've got to acknowledge that being able to persuade and influence are vital skills in all aspects of our life. (And yes, there's a difference between persuasion and influence. When you persuade, you present a case generally to sway the opinions or actions of others. Persuasion is more short-term and immediate than influence, which builds over time. When you're influential, you're able to present a vision or goal for others to work toward. And then without using any bullying, coercion, or other strong-arm tactics, you get people to work together to achieve your vision or goal.)

Although I'm known as a successful persuader and influencer, I had not been confident in my abilities until recently. Receiving external validation from these researchers that my approach meets their standards gave me a boost, further bolstered by a recent achievement.

What worked well for me? I set myself up for success, as the researchers advise. You, too, can do this at home and at work.

Three actions can make a huge difference in your ability to be a successful persuader and influencer:

1. Talk to people face-to-face. We're much more persuasive in person than over the phone or video, according to Dr. Bohns. As for trying to sway others over email, text, or social media platforms, none of these channels work as well as being with people. When you're together, individuals can observe your body language, hear the entire spectrum of your voice, and catch your emotions.

2. Craft a personal appeal that's tailored to the core values and motivation of the people you're persuading and influencing. Even if you don't know everyone personally or well, be strategic with your messaging, suggested Dr. Molden. For instance, first try to get to know others better. Or if that's difficult in your circumstances, appeal to something people care about and want. For example, when I help my clients and coaches be more persuasive and influential, we'll focus on how they can encourage others to be more aligned with their employer's values and goals as well as contribute to a better functioning team and organization.

3. Follow through with a compelling ask. First, make sure you ask clearly and concisely. (The researchers observed that many people don't even ask. And in my experience, many of the "asks" I read and hear in organizational settings are fuzzy, especially around what you're expected to do and by when.) Even better, make sure you've structured the ask from the perspective of your target. In other words, your ask avoids referring to what you want or need, such as a job, opportunity or selfish favor. Instead, your request explains what someone will get or how they'll benefit by responding to your ask.

So how did these three steps work in my situation? Playing to my husband's interests, I convinced him to delay his retirement by three years. As a result, I preserved my health care benefits during this period, saved more than $10,000, and maintained ideal working conditions. Even better, my husband was content.

What's my specific story? My motivation was admittedly self-centered. I work out of the house and appreciate the peace and quiet of just the dog's company during the day. More importantly, ever since I established my coaching and consulting firm in 2004, I've had health care benefits through my husband's employer.

Leading up to my husband's retirement, whenever we talked about his planned retirement date, I stayed mum about why I wanted him to keep working. Instead, I turned the spotlight on him and kept asking how he felt about giving up his most favorite work benefit, which would disappear the day he retired.

This benefit was a four-figure annual clothing allowance to spend however he liked, as long as he could wear his purchases to work. To say my husband loves clothes is an understatement.So even though he knew I wanted him to keep working to maintain my health care benefits, he also wanted to hold onto his valuable benefit.

Those three years were a good run while they lasted. And the experience demonstrated the positive and mutual benefits of effective persuasion and influence.

Now here's to your success persuading and influencing with these three steps!

Read more here:
Three Actions For Becoming More Persuasive And Influential - Forbes

As the New Year approaches, Texans across the state will make new resolutions for personal wellness or personal improvement. According to Inc., last year resolutions reached high percentages in the areas of health and getting gym memberships, saving money or eating better.

What didnt make the list was something everyone has to give: our time.

In honor of the holiday season and new beginnings for 2020, consider checking out these nonprofits in Texas actively looking for new volunteers.

This very popular literacy center gets 100 volunteers a week. If youd like to be one of them, their website describes how to sign up and how their program impacts the community, At Aberg Center for Literacy we rely on a committed group of community and professional volunteers to offer our tuition-free services to our students and their families.

This Dallas-based organization helps special needs children by removing barriers to care in order to serve these children through education, health, advocacy and social services. There are many ways to get involved, including volunteering for various programs throughout the year, donating items from their Wishlist or getting involved with a digital campaign. More information is available at the website here.

Animal lovers looking for ways to give back should know that the SPCA of Texas is looking for volunteers. The Volunteer Recruiting Manager shared with Reform Austin that Volunteers at the SPCA of Texas give their hearts and time to make every day special for the animals who are waiting for their forever home. We depend on hundreds of volunteers to help in our shelters, clinics, and in our community. We have locations in McKinney and Dallas, with several volunteer opportunities. Volunteers help with adoption counseling, horse training, socializing cats, walking dogs, grooming, office support, and more. We have openings seven days a week, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., and we accept volunteers ages 10 and older. Find out more about volunteering on the SPCA website here.

This non-profit bereavement center offers free grief support services to children, families and adults during their grief journey. Volunteers help with programs for all ages and assist in the kitchen as well. To support someone who is grieving, consider becoming a Volunteer Facilitator and run a support group. More information on volunteering can be found on Bos Places website.

Volunteers are always needed at the Houston Food Bank for food sorting, packaging food and assisting with meal prep. For those looking for family volunteer opportunities, its a great way to involve younger helpers. Volunteers are also encouraged to round up co-workers and plan a corporate volunteer and work side-by-side in the fight against hunger. The Houston Food Bank shared with Reform Austin, Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Those are the words of Helen Keller, and they could easily be a motto of the Houston Food Bank, says Jermaine Harmon, director of Volunteer Services at Houston Food Bank. Last year, our organization provided access to 104 million nutritious meals in 18 counties in southeast Texas through our 1,500 community partners, but it could not be done without the assistance of volunteers. They are crucial to the fight against hunger and accomplishing our mission to provide food for better lives. More information on volunteering can be found here.

Project Row Houses engages neighbors of Houstons Historic Third Ward with artists and enterprises in collective creative action to help materialize sustainable opportunities in marginalized communities. The 39 structures serve as a base for enriching initiatives, art programs, and neighborhood development activities. Eureka Gilkey, Executive Director of Project Row Houses shared with Reform Austin, Project Row Houses volunteers are integral to the success of our organization. We are fortunate to have a group of committed volunteers who continuously provide support for our events and facilities team, childcare for our Young Mothers Residential Program participants, and tutoring for our Third Ward youth and adult learners. We look forward to welcoming more volunteers as we expand our reach and services. Learn more about volunteering and supporting programs here.

For book lovers, BookSpring has a passion for closing the early literacy gap. Their website states, Were big on books, but small on staff. Their website shares plenty of helpful details on how to get involved with in-office book sorting every day of the work week, and their Twitter page is bursting with volunteer opportunities and updates. Volunteer roles include sorting books, supporting motivational reading activities including reading aloud to groups of children, delivery driving, and organizational support. Through 2020, BookSprings goals include achieving 2,000 volunteer placements, both groups and individuals.

If you love the music scene in Austin, consider getting involved with the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, which provides access to affordable healthcare for Austins low-income self-employed working musicians, with a focus on prevention and wellness. The organization offers year-round volunteer opportunities that include taking donations at concerts, spreading the word about HAAM, and helping the small but mighty HAAM staff out in a variety of ways. Learn about their volunteering programs here.

A nationally known nonprofit, Austins Habitat for Humanity is built around ending the cycle of poverty housing and the deeply held belief that everyone deserves a decent, affordable place to live. The website stresses, You dont have to be part of a group or team to volunteer with Austin Habitat. Each individual volunteer plays an essential role in achieving our mission of building homes, communities and hope.

This long-serving organization works to Eliminate hunger, alleviate isolation, and foster independence among seniors, in partnership with volunteers and the community. Volunteers for Meals on Wheels in San Antonio bring nutritious meals through home-delivery to seniors, deliver pet food on weekends, and spend quality time over coffee or tea with our more isolated Meals on Wheels recipients to keep people mentally, physically and emotionally fit. Volunteer hours are flexible and kids are welcome participants. Find out more about volunteering and sign up for volunteer orientations here.

Dress for Success was created to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools and targets the needs of low-income women by promoting economic security and self-sufficiency to break the chains of generational poverty through job preparation, employment retention and career development programs. In San Antonio, volunteers serve in a variety of ways, including as personal shoppers to help clients select suits for interviews and jobs, working in the career center, and for meetings and special events. More information on volunteering is available here.

For anyone hoping to spend some time outside or get a little closer to natural beauty in San Antonio, no experience is needed to be involved at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Volunteers can help out once a year or more regularly, and green thumbs arent always a necessity. The gardens website says, Volunteers play a critical role in helping the Garden growand not all work with plants! More information on volunteering is available here.

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Want to give back? These Texas Nonprofits Are Looking for Volunteers - Reform Austin

Although the mass protests in several cities around the world in 2019 erupted spontaneously, they were not bolts from the blue. Trust in either governments or markets to give people a fair chance in life has faded in many countries. Compounding this, a sense of togetherness among people has given way to one of us versus them".

These tensions manifest themselves differently depending on where one looks. But they reflect underlying realities. Social mobility is stubbornly low in many countries, economic growth has slowed, younger people see fewer prospects of getting good jobs and owning a home, and income and wealth gaps have widened. Globalization and new technologies have contributed to these trends, but they are not at the core of the issue. The few countries that have avoided wage stagnation and the hollowing out of the middle classSweden and Singapore, for examplehave actually been more exposed to these forces than most. What matters is the policy response, and whether governments, businesses, and unions take responsibility for addressing the difficulties. The problem is that the loss of trust and solidarity is fragmenting politics and undermining democratic institutions capacity to muster an effective response. That, in turn, is weakening countries ability to cooperate to secure global growth, avert crises, and ensure a sustainable world.

The task, then, is to rebuild confidence in the broad centre of politics. It requires, most fundamentally, a bolder social ambition. We need more committed and sustained investment in the social foundations of broad-based prosperity if we are to restore optimism in the future. These foundations are in disrepair in much of the advanced world, and woefully inadequate in most developing countries. We must give people a better chance early in life, and second and third chances later, so that no ones path is determined from where they start. And through our politics, and in our schools, neighbourhoods and employment, we must develop the sense of affinity among people of different social and ethnic backgrounds that is critical to reducing the appeal of the populist right.

It is much easier to promote relative social mobility when you have absolute mobility, where everyone is progressing. We must ensure this moving escalator continues. When the escalator slows or stops, those in the middle tend to become more anxious not just about those who are moving farther ahead of them, but also about those who might catch up from behind. Reversing the prolonged trend of weak productivity growth and restoring economic dynamism is thus a necessary first step.

But governing from the centre must also involve intervening upstream to redress the sources of inequality. We must close the gaps in maternal health and early childhood development, to avoid lifelong disadvantages. We must upskill workers and match them to new tasks while they are on the job, rather than waiting for them to be displaced by new labour-saving technologies. And we must redress the problem of increasingly segregated neighbourhoods, which have created growing social distances between people and shaped different aspirations. None of these is easy, but it is far more difficult to tackle the larger problems that form downstream.

These tasks cannot be left to the market, which on its own tends to amplify initial disadvantages and advantagesthrough assortative mating, better-educated parents investing more time and resources in their kids, hiring practices based on educational or social pedigree, and the like. It is facile to object to upstream interventions on the grounds that they amount to social engineering". The state, and all of us collectively, must mitigate the social engineering" of the market, make opportunities less unequal, and prevent an underclass and other legacies from becoming too entrenched to solve in democratically acceptable ways.

The social contract of the new centre must engender both collective solidarity and personal responsibility, transcending the traditional narratives of both the right and the left. The right tends to attribute lifes outcomes to whether people take responsibility for themselves. But there has not been any surge in personal irresponsibility that can explain prolonged low productivity and wage growth, the loss of jobs in the middle, or widening regional disparities in so many countries.

Likewise, the lefts focus on redistribution as a response to inequality is based on too narrow a view of the states role and of our collective responsibilities to one another. This view has lost appeal even within the major social democracies. The traditional left would otherwise have performed much better than it did in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, considering the great difficulties imposed on ordinary working families.

Rather than viewing collective solidarity and personal responsibility as alternatives, we should look for ways in which they reinforce each other. The state and its social partners must broaden opportunities and provide the support that people often need to seize them and earn their own success in education, employment, and contributing to the community themselves. This compact of personal and collective responsibility is what makes strategies for social upliftment succeed. Society never tires of supporting people who are making an effort to help themselves.

When designed well, progressive fiscal systems can support both growth and inclusivity. They are also critical in sustaining support for open, market-based democratic systems.

But the progressivity of the new centre must place much greater emphasis on strategies for social mobility, and on helping people, towns, and regions to regenerate themselves when jobs and whole industries are lost. Successful examples of how local networks of public, private, and educational actors have spurred regrowth reflect strategies that seek to empower people, and are fundamentally different from traditional redistributive schemes that compensate the losers" and which have done little to redress a sense of exclusion.

Part of the solution must also be to refocus attention on public goods. Fiscal policy in many countries has undergone a decades-long drift toward spending on short-term over long-term objectives, and on individuals over the social bases of welfare. To be sure, subsidies for poor and middle-income individuals are essential to ensure fair access to education, healthcare, and housing, as are policies to top up low wages, such as through negative income taxes. But investments in public goods are ultimately vital to the quality of life for ordinary citizens, and to restore optimism in the future. Finally, the new political centre must take responsibility for building a more sustainable world, and marshal the energies of the young to help us get there.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam is senior minister in Singapores cabinet, chair of the Group of Thirty and co-chair of the Advisory Board for the UN 2019 Human Development Report.

2019/PROJECT SYNDICATE

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Rebuilding the political centre - Livemint

In anexpeditionhalfway across the globe,UTEP PresidentEmeritaDianaNatalicioand Associate Vice President for Student Engagement and Dean of Students Catie McCorry-Andalisembarkedon a triptocontinuetheir dedicatedeffortsincultivatingthe unique connection shared between UTEP andthe Kingdom ofBhutan.

The trip started offwith theflightbeingdiverted to London in place of the projected routedue to a typhoon.Natalicioexplained that despite this being the next best solution, the diversion causedunforeseenadditions to the flight resulting in a bit of discomfort throughout the lengthy trek.

El Paso and Bhutan are exactly on opposite sides of the globe so were 12 hours apart. Day is night, night is day. Thats hard to adapt to for just your internal clock,but its also a long distance,Nataliciosaid.We ended up in not very comfortable seating and its a long flighta long time to be wedged into a tiny little space.

However, despiteinconvenient conditions,adeepadmirationforthe journey prevailed.

The flight into Bhutan is beautiful. Youre flying into the Himalayas which is very different than any other airportIn the old daysthe pilotswere not Bhutanese and now almost all of them are and thatsreally terrific,Nataliciosaid.Its considered to bean outstanding airline for safety and all kinds of things when you considerthey fly into those mountains in kind of a circuitous route. Itspretty impressive.

Itissignificant to note that the country of Bhutanseldom receivesvisitorsandis rigorouslyparticular with itstourism, making sure tohavesanctioned tour groupsthat regulate passage.There are limited flights entering Bhutan andnot just anyone is authorizedto be certified inpilotingthe aircraftsthat do entersince they takegreatpride in their autonomy fromtotalreliance on foreign talent.

Bhutans sister country is Nepal.

Nepal has struggled because theyve opened their doors to trekkers and theyve had a tremendous challenge of cleaning up and managing this large group of people,Nataliciosaid.Bhutan is very protective of their beautiful country and made aconsciousdecision for this not to happen. They want tourists to come but they want them to come under certain conditions.

Alot of that is to make sure the country preserves fundamentally who they are as a nation, this is a nation that measures things inGrossNationalHappiness(GNH)andthey are intentional and thoughtfulabout it, McCorry-Andalissaid.

According toGNH USA,anonprofitthat seeks to increase personal happiness and our collective wellbeing by changing how we measure progress and success,GNHis defined asa socioeconomic development model that is a measurement ofthe collective happiness in a nation.

It is apparent thatthere isnot only substantialimportance placedonthe contentment of the nations citizens, butalsothe preservation oftheirway of lifeandardentvalue in familialand cultural ties.

I think in a small country like that,its somehow easier, more personal to be a loving member of your society, it feels like its a family for them,McCorry-Andalissaid.In a great big society like ours, its a little bit more difficult to identify in that way. They are very loyal and committed to the future of their country, its really quitenice to see.

It had been six years since the last trip to Bhutanand there is much to be said about the rich history of thisbond that originated with UTEPs architecture in 1917, with the constructionofOld MainwhenKathleen Worrell,thewife of UTEPs first deanSteve Worrell,saw a Bhutan spread in National GeographicandwasinstantaneouslycaptivatedbythefeaturedHimalayanarchitecture.

The story is that the wife of the first dean had an interest in(National GeographicsBhutan)story and thought that the buildings in that set of photographs resembled buildings that related well to mountains. And she thought this Franklin Mountain kind of looked like those Himalayas,Nataliciosaid.

Turns out that thedecisionended up beingespecially congruoustothedry climate, mountainsand higher elevationsuch as with the inset windows that counterbalance the,often sweltering,intensity of the sun.

It represents a sort of jewel that we wouldve never been forgiven for not discovering. It was so obvious that this is a connection that we needed to make,Nataliciosaid.Ithink its important to emphasize that it is a partnership and I dont think theres another university anywhere that has stepped up.One of the reasons that I think its important thatUTEP did that is because of this fortuitous architectural connection with Bhutan.We were very fortunate that we got this architecture that somebody back then kind of unwittingly just liked the look of it andall of asuddenwe were off and running.

Thearchitecturehasalso benefitted the community andspread awareness aboutthe Kingdom of Bhutan.

Because of our architecture and the work that weve done with our cultural events and activities, you have kids in elementary school around here who know where Bhutan is, McCorry-Andalissaid.

The connection, however,eminentlytranscends shared architecture.

The timelineprogressesto the1970swhenJigmeDorji,UTEPs first Bhutanese student, enrolled andlaterreceived his degree in engineering. Today,he is a very successful businessman and entrepreneurin his homeland.

Subsequent to this first enrollment, more Bhutanese students began to trickle in.At its inception, funding for a program was not feasible in the sense of scholarships,sothere was a requisiteforstudentsfamiliestoensure thatthere wereenoughfundstosatisfysponsorshipdemands.

However, with Bhutanmobilizing its transition from a monarchy to a fully functioning democracy, the government began institutinginvestments into higher education. They would now be needing tooccupypositions never before consideredpreliminary to the shift froma monocracyto a democracy, such as the establishment of a tax system and people proficientenough to operate it, a concept not often considered when the kings beneficence attended tosuch matters.

This democratic shift,which wasmethodical inprioritizingthe inclusion of the necessary disciplines forthe kingdomssociological growth,thenacceleratedthe momentumevenfurtherwith the implementation of scholarshipsandidentifyingqualifyingcandidates.

I would say roughly about 13 years ago is when it reallybegan totake hold and that was because we established several formal partnerships with some agencies in Bhutan, the Royal Civil Service Commission is one, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, McCorry-Andalissaid.Theyhave some very specific needs of educating their community and they were sponsoring students to come to UTEP specifically. Our first large cohort that we got was nine students at the time, all graduate students and today,it has just completely expanded with more coming our way.

There are currently 44Bhutanesestudentsenrolledat the universityandmore than100alumni.

The students are unique in their experience in that most of them often do not get the opportunity to go back home throughout the entirety of their academic stay, not to mention having to acclimate to an unfamiliar culture.

I was a study abroad student inBrazil for a year,Nataliciosaid.There was nobody else with my scholarship inRio de Janeiro,so I had to plunge directlyinand I was terrified,but it was the best thing to ever happen to me.

A trip to Bhutan from El Paso lasts roughly two and a half to three days to and from, not to mention thecost.Studentscoming fromthereare among some of the studyabroadattendees that are the furthest away from home. Technology can only suffice so much to compensate for the yearningtobe neartheir familiesand these trips to Bhutan are designed tobridge that gap.

Students are not able to go homefor four years.Theyre here and a few of them travel,but many of them are here and they make that commitment.It was wonderful to see some of our alumni there,but we(also)have to assure parents if theyre going to trust their children to us for four years,Nataliciosaid.

TheBhutanesestudentscan also be distinguishedby how avidly committed to their educationthey arebecause of their entrenched moral imperative to contributing to theimprovementof theircountry.

UTEP is held in very high regard and I think its the type of education that they are receiving here. They have access to education first and foremost,but then theyre not only getting phenomenal professors,its that engagement, McCorry-Andalissaid.Whether its research in a lab or student teaching, those are invaluable to them particularly when they go back to a country that is really new to what theyre trying to make happen, its so important for their success and theyre just so grateful to UTEP for giving them that opportunityOur big challenge now is to take more of our students to Bhutan.

There are hopes for a faculty-led, shorttermstudy abroad program to launch in 2021 which McCorry-Andalissays is exciting since theyhave alreadycontacteda couple of interested professors and will involve a partnership with Royal Thimphu College.

The purpose of this trip was to make certain that that same gratitude wasalsoreciprocatedon behalf ofthe university toitsesteemedpartners.Natalicioand McCorry-Andalisexpress theirenduringrespect and appreciationby fostering the unprecedented relationship thathasbeen cultivatedand rooted in authenticitybetween UTEP and Bhutan in hopes ofkeepingthe connection continuous and consistent for many years to come.

Through the years ithas grown, but it doesnt grow without nurturing. Therehas tobe a set of relationships on both ends, UTEP and Bhutan, that are committed to deal with the many dimensions of a program like this because these programs arent just straight forward.Idont know any other university that has a relationship with Bhutan the way we do,so weve had to build it,Nataliciosaid.(This trip) isto thank themand to nurture the relationship going forward so that were able to continue to be able to work with our partners in Bhutan on behalf of the Bhutanese students that are coming to UTEP with big dreams.

Sasha Minjarez may be reached at [emailprotected]

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Natalicio and dean of students strengthen UTEP's ties with Bhutan during visit - The Prospector

Six Maine organizations were recognized by the Finance Authority of Maine for their work in helping local businesses and students succeed. The recognitions were made at FAMEs Nov. 21 annual meeting.

Business at Work for Maine Award: Amplify Additive of Scarborough, for its innovative manufacturing and work helping other companies choose the right technology for the right application. The company benefited from a unique partnership involving a FAME Direct Loan and financing from other partners such as the Maine Venture Fund, Maine Technology Institute and Coastal Enterprises Inc.

Education at Work for Maine Award: Professional Logging Contractors of Maine of Augusta for its work giving independent logging contractors and sole proprietors a voice in Maines changing forest industry. It offers Maines only post-secondary training program for operators of mechanized logging equipment. Launched in 2017, the program involves a partnership between the Maine Community College System, the PLC, and industry partners.

Education at Work for Maine Award: Ronald Milliken, longtime director of financial aid at University of Maine Farmington, and the financial literacy peer education program he founded that champions financial literacy and responsible borrowing. The programs mission is to increase the financial literacy capability of students by providing them with student-led informational programming regarding personal finance, student loan borrowing, default prevention and financial aid. The program has begun a statewide expansion, and will ultimately be offered at all seven campuses of the University of Maine System.

Lender at Work for Maine Award ($1.5 billion or above in assets): Camden National Bank. This is the banks 10th time as an awardee. Over the past year, Camden National partnered with FAME on 48 loans totaling approximately $13.6 million. This in turn helped to create 109 Maine jobs and retain an additional 484 jobs.

Lender at Work for Maine Award (up to $1.5 billion in assets): Skowhegan Savings. This past year, FAME partnered with Skowhegan Savings on eight loans to Maine companies totaling approximately $6 million. This helped to retain 53 Maine jobs. In partnership with Jobs for Maines Graduates, Skowhegan Savings has developed a career preparation and financial literacy program to give all students in Somerset and Franklin counties the skills and experience needed for success in todays workforce.

Lender at Work for Maine Award: Bar Harbor Bank & Trust: FAME partnered this year with the bank on 20 loans totaling approximately $5.1 million. This helped to create 39 Maine jobs and retain an additional 112 Maine jobs. The bank is being recognized for its increased partnership with FAME this past year utilizing the agencys commercial loan insurance program.

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FAME recognizes 6 Maine organizations for helping businesses and students - Press Herald

For over 30 years, I've managed professional relationships. There is one foundational element that I've noticed remains unchanged: Humans need humans. We're social beings, and relationships with others can help us navigate the challenges and celebrate the victories of personal and business life. According to American psychologist Abraham Maslow, best known for his hierarchy of needs, relationships with others fulfill our desire to belong and our esteem needs.

Gallup research shows that only 33% of U.S. employees are engaged at work and lists "manager or management" as one of the five most common reasons employees leave their jobs. I believe that this stems from poor manager-employee interactions and employees' feelings of lack of belonging.

Case in point: Samantha is a new manager in charge of running a corporate branch office. She has consistently performed well in her previous positions and quickly rose through the ranks to her current position. She prides herself on the separation of the human component and work. In her previous positions, she was measured on individual performance; relationships with others were not a requirement or need for her personal success. She does not participate in lunch or after-hour office gatherings. She openly states her goal at the office is to do a job, earn a living and design her career path; she is not there to make friends.

The side effects of such an attitude may not be glaringly obvious. Samantha scores high on corporate compliance. Directives are followed precisely, and she is an expert in process execution. However, her performance as a team leader has been underwhelming and landed the team at the bottom of the district. The line of demarcation and the emotional disconnect between her and the team is directly impacting her success. Team members feel the emotional deficit in the relationship and have adopted an attitude of doing what is required of the job and nothing more.

To help Samantha change her course, we unpacked this question: What steps can be taken to improve individual performance and team engagement to drive success? Here's the advice I gave her. I believe any leader can use these tips to bond with their team members.

1. Consciously build bonds. Rather than approaching relationships with your team members with only quantitative data, build bonds from a qualitative stance as well. While the numbers show the outcome, they can serve as a small part of the improvement equation. Genuinely listen to your team members' ideas, and explore the feasibility of using them for the good of the team. Take an interest in their career paths; the goal of advancement may be tied directly to motivation to improve engagement and performance.

2. Rather than preparing what to say next, listen attentively as your team members speak. Often, our mind races to articulate what we will say in response, thereby causing us to miss important details. Listening intently shows respect for the speaker and can reveal opportunities to coach for better outcomes.

3. Seek value in every relationship. Different personalities, communication styles and thought processes can make it more difficult to effectively hear what's being said. Strive to find common ground, and commit to exploring ways to build from the commonalities.

4. Speak and respond in ways that encourage others to listen. Constructive feedback rather than criticism can work well to move discussions along. Structure feedback to inspire further exploration into the issue at hand. Ask "what if" questions to delve into the details.

5. Remember that emotions play a part in every discussion. An emotionally aware leader can recognize issues below the surface that have not yet been verbally communicated. For example, a usually outgoing employee who suddenly becomes quiet can be a signal. In such a case, inquire by approaching the subject delicately with empathy and with intentional words, such as "I've noticed that you don't seem to be yourself is there something I can help you with?" Without prying, and depending on how the conversation goes, offer available resources.

Employing these five tips can provide the foundation from which teams can develop cohesiveness and navigate the ups and downs of business cycles and other conundrums along the way.

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The Human Component Of Work: Five Tips For Connecting With Your Team - Forbes

While it is important to recognize and avoid toxic people, it may be even more important to recognize and attract what I refer to as nutric people. The Latin word nutricis loosely translated means to nourish, to support, and to foster growth and development.

Research has shown that human resilience (ones ability to bounce back from adversity) is largely a result of being supported by someone else (cf. Everly & Lating, 2019). It seems to me that it is no quantum leap of faith to accept that ones happinessand success in life is often related to having someone who supports you, someone who nourishes you, someone who supports your hopes and dreams, and perhaps most importantly someone who helps you feel good about yourself. That person would, therefore, be the opposite of toxic, rather we could simply shorten the Latin nutricis and call that person nutric.

Toxic People

Just asthe environmenthas its toxins, humanity includes people who consistently do toxic things. Recognizing and avoiding toxic people is an essential skill to learn as early in life as possible (cf. Everly, 2009). Toxic people can spread unhappiness and personal suffering. They can poison things with which they come in touch: other people, careers, businesses, marriages, and even children.

Specifically, toxic people undermine your confidence, remind you of your weaknesses, and dissuade you from doing anything that might promote your happiness and your success. They may even take advantage of you to further their success, often working in stealth so as not to be revealed as the toxic people they are. They are users, certainly not nurturers. Sound familiar?

Toxic people are easy to recognize. They are unhappy and insecure, though they may try to mask their unhappiness with arrogance. They say things that are hurtful, but quickly say they were just kidding, or that you are being too sensitive. They drain your energy and leave you feeling emotionally exhausted questioning yourself and your desires. They may even sabotage your efforts at happiness or success. If caught doing so, they will say they were simply trying to save you from disappointment.

Oh, and dont think you can change them. Their insecurities are legion, far beyond your ability to alter. But you are inclined to try, so you get pulled into the great abyss of their toxicity. Just remember their toxicity can be contagious.

Source: Alexas_Fotos/Pixabay

Nutric People

Nutric people are the opposite of toxic people. Nutric people nourish, support, and foster your growth and development. They help you realize your dreams. They are uplifting people who help you build your self-confidence. They believe in you. They motivate you to be better than you thought you could be!

Nutric people are easy to recognize. They will encourage you when you have self-doubt. They will support you when you need assistance, asking nothing in return. They are happy more often than not. They often have a smile on their face. Their happiness makes you feel happy. They leave you feeling energized, motivated, and feeling more self-confident. The personal characteristics of Nutric people read like an acronym of the word itself.

Nutric people are:

1. Nurturing. They are supportive and encouraging. They are motivating but not demanding. They seem to truly want you to be happy and successful.

2.Understanding. They seem to understand you. They are perspective-takers able to understand your point of view on most things. When they disagree, they present their point of view without insulting your perspective.

3.Trustworthy. You can trust them without any fear of betrayal.

4. Reliable. Reliability is the key to trust. They act and think in a pattern that is usually predictable and this puts you at ease.

5. Integrity. They evidence honesty and ethics. They seem to follow a moral compass.

6. Confident. They are confident in themselves and their confidence is contagious. Studies on interpersonal attraction show that self-confidence is a key factor in attraction. Do not confuse confidence with narcissism and arrogance, as these two traits are characteristic of toxic people.

How do you attract nutric people? Aspire to be one, or at least close. Nurture others; be a compassionate and supportive presence. Be reliable. Don't make excuses, take responsibility for your actions (a rare quality). Follow a moral compass. Exude a confident humility. Try as best you can to see the world through the eyes of another. You will be surprised by what you discover. These things said, never lose yourself in the process.

While it is important to recognize and avoid toxic people, it may be even more important to recognize and attract nutric people. Nutric people nourish, support, and foster your growth and development. They help you realize your dreams!

(c) 2019, George S. Everly, PhD

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"Nutric People:" How to Recognize and Attract Them - Psychology Today

Thomas Rhettwas always a talented songwriter, but his career skyrocketed around the time that he started releasing deeply personal songs that spoke directly to his own life, such as "Die a Happy Man." That's no coincidence, as Rhett pointed out to The Boot and other outlets during a recent press event.

In fact, he attributes his success to his ability to speak openly about the things that are important to him. Thatskill that hasn't always necessarily come easily."Especially as an artist, it's tough in any genre to be vulnerable and to write songs about your life," Rhett admits. "When you put 'em out, you go, 'Does anybody care about that?'"

The resounding success of "Die a Happy Man," which tells the story of Rhett's relationship with hiswife Lauren, gave him the answer. Since then, songs including "Life Changes," "Look What God Gave Her" and "Dream You Never Had" have continued to prove that Rhett's fansdo care about his story, because it relates to their own.

"And I think what I found out is, the more personal songs I write ... you're really talking to a lot of the population," he continues. "A lot of the time as a dad, or even when I look at Lauren and we're sitting there with a newborn and going, 'Does anybody know what we're experiencing right now?' Well, there's a million people that do. There's abillion people that do."

Distilling those common experiences into song form may be easier said than done, but Rhett says that the payoff is huge. "That is Songwriting 101: to be unabashedly yourself, and do things different, not because you're trying to be different, but because it's actually who you are. I think that doesn't go unnoticed," he reflects.

That commitment to authenticity has taken Rhett to the highest echelons of country music, from awards show mentions to high-power tours and cross-genre collaborations. "Every decision wemade, every tour I said yes to, every tour I said no to, every song I did cut, every song I didn't cut -- it was all part of some crazy plan," he says.

"I don't know where it's gonna lead, but I'm really just trying to live in 2019, in the present, and feel like this is incredible," Rhett adds. "A lot of it is just attributed to being yourself. Being very unashamed to be who you are."

10 Too-Cute-for-Words Photos of Thomas Rhett + Lauren Akins

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What's Thomas Rhett's Secret to Success? Being Himself, the Singer Says - The Boot

While your balance might not be as impressive as Warren Buffet's, you can get closer by adopting these practices.

November 20, 2019 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Just about every entrepreneur wants to see their business turn into the next Airbnbor Uber. While a successful startup relies on great marketing and delivering a needed product or service, this isnt what necessarily makes the biggest difference for the bank accounts of the worlds wealthiest entrepreneurs.

In reality, accruing and maintaining wealth stems from smart personal-finance habits. Your startup doesnt need to turn into a billion-dollar business for you to achieve your wealth goals. By implementing the same personal-finance habits used by many of the most successful entrepreneurs, you can dramatically improve your financial situation. Here are five to get you started.

As important as it is to have a budget, one area where the wealthy differentiate themselves is by having clear-cut money goals.Writing down a list of financial goals and reviewing them each day will give you a clear direction regarding the actions you need to take to improve personal wealth and the profitability of your business.

Related: Want to Make Money and Get Rich?

Not having a plan for spending and savings habits is one of the biggest pitfalls that keeps entrepreneurs and others from achieving their wealth goals. For greater insight on this, I reached out to Spencer Barclay, founder and CEO of Savology, whoexplained, The problem stems from the fact that many of us simply dont track where our money is going,which can undermine the financial goals youre working toward.Serious budgeting means planning ahead for how you will spend and save your money and then tracking every expense. When you are cognizant of your spending habits, it becomes much easier to keep them in check and contribute more to your savings goals.

With this information in hand, you can then start finding ways toreduce your expenses. This could mean switching to a less expensive internet provider for your business, or simply cutting out your daily trip to the coffee shop on your way to work.

According to Tom Corleys book,Rich Habits: The Daily Habits of Successful People, 65 percent of all self-made millionaires have at least three sources of income, and 29percent have five or more income sources. The significance of these numbers isnt just in the fact that these individuals are earning money through multiple businesses, as well as interest income, rentals or capital gains. By establishing multiple income streams, these entrepreneurs are diversifying and lowering their personal financial risk.

The idea is similar to creating multiple revenue streams within your business. By selling through new channels or introducing new products, you create additional opportunities for sales growth. Even if one channel or product starts to underperform, your business remains profitable because of the stability provided by other income streams. Diversifying your personal finances can lead to similar results.

Where does your extra money go after youve paid off your necessary monthly expenses? For business owners, finding ways to invest the profit back into the company is key to fueling further growth. The same holds true for your personal finances.

Many investment experts recommend implementing the buy and hold strategy as a way to generatepassive income over time. According to Investopedia, a long-term study of this strategy covering the years 1926 to 2010 found an average 12.1 percent annual return for small stocks and a 9.9 percent annual return for large stocks. This even accounted for the three market crashes that took place during this time frame.

Continually adding money to a savings or investment account will allow your growth to compound over time. This passive income serves as the perfect supplement to the money you take home from your entrepreneurial efforts.

Related: 5 Passive Wealth-Building Strategies

Research from CB Insights reveals that 42 percent of startup failures are attributed to a lack of market need for their product or service. Lack of market awareness can directly impact the success of your businessand your personal finances. Wealthy entrepreneurs make an effort to stay up to date on broad trends that could impact their business and personal finances. For example, changing interest rates can dramatically influence your long-term costs for taking out a loan for a new business venture. This could also affect buyer spending habits, influencing the market for your products.

Becoming proactively aware of market shifts will alert you to monitor trends or events that could affect your business and other investments, allowing you to take timely actions that protect your assets. Even something as simple as adjusting your pricing in anticipation of a market change could help you avoid incurring major losses.

For many, achieving personal financial security requires changing habits or a long-adopted mindset. This may seem like a challenge, but the end result is well worth it. By taking full control of the way you use your money, you can grow your personal wealth while also increasing your startups chances for long-term success.

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5 Personal-Finance Habits of Wealthy Entrepreneurs - Entrepreneur

Studies confirm that mortal terror amplifies support for Trump Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

In a recent experiment, American participants were asked: Please describe the emotions that the thought of your own death arouses in you and Write down as specifically as you can what you think will happen to you physically as you die and once you are dead. Moments later, those who had been asked to contemplate their mortality reported more negative attitudes towards immigrants, greater opposition to a mosque being built in their neighbourhood, and a greater likelihood of voting for Donald Trump for president.

What could possibly explain these findings?

In The Denial of Death (1973), cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker argued that while humans share a basic biological predisposition towards self-preservation with all life forms, we are unique in our capacity for symbolic thought, including self-awareness. This gives rise to the unsettling realisation that death is inevitable, can occur at any time, and that we are ultimately no more significant or enduring than turtles or turnips.

The unvarnished awareness of death engenders potentially debilitating existential terror, which humans manage by embracing cultural worldviews for example, a religious identity such as Christianity, or a national identity such as Englishness. These worldviews confer a sense that one is a person of value in a world of meaning, and hence eligible for immortality (either literally, through the heavens, afterlives and souls central to most religions; or symbolically, by being a member of a great and enduring tribe or nation, having children, amassing great fortunes or producing noteworthy works of art or science). People are therefore highly motivated to maintain faith in their cultural worldviews as a psychological bulwark against existential dread.

Becker then argued that because cultural worldviews are essentially symbolic, they can never completely overcome the terror of death. There is always residual death anxiety, a rumble of panic underneath everything. This free-floating panic settles on to those we regard as different to ourselves, as possible threats. Having assumed material form, this fear can at least be managed: in our minds these people become repositories of evil. They are then denigrated, demonised, dehumanised and, in some cases, destroyed.

Immigrants, including those who practise different religions, such as Muslims and Jews, have historically served as these scapegoats, as living embodiments of our existential dread.

Experiments carried out under the rubric of terror management theory the framework I and my fellow researchers used for understanding these behaviours corroborate Beckers account. They illuminate the existential underpinnings of hostility and disdain toward designated outgroups. After being reminded of their mortality (by answering the questions above, being interviewed in front of a funeral parlour, or subliminally exposed to the word death), Christians had more favourable impressions of other Christians and more negative impressions of Jews; Germans sat closer to Germans and further away from Turkish immigrants; Iranians were more supportive of suicide bombings; and Americans advocated using nuclear, chemical and biological weapons against countries that posed no direct threat to the US.

After being reminded of their mortality Christians had more favourable impressions of other Christians and more negative impressions of Jews

But how can these ideas help explain why death reminders increase support for Trump? The German sociologist Max Weber theorised that in times of historical upheaval, when existential anxieties are salient, people embrace charismatic political leaders. In 1951, moral philosopher Eric Hoffer, in The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, added that the primary impetus for populist movements is economic and psychological insecurity, leaving people in desperate need of something to live for.

Authoritarian populist leaders, Hoffer argued, need not be intelligent or original. Rather, the primary qualifications seem to be: audacity and a joy in defiance; an iron will; a fanatical conviction that he is in possession of the one and only truth; faith in his destiny and luck; a capacity for passionate hatred; contempt for the present; a cunning estimate of human nature; a delight in symbols (spectacles and ceremonials) the arrogant gesture, the complete disregard of the opinion of others, the singlehanded defiance of the world [and] some deliberate misrepresentation of facts.

They transform followers fears into rage and righteous indignation directed toward designated outgroups for political purposes. For example, Trump campaigned for president by inflaming animosity towards Mexicans and Muslims. After the 2016 election, Trump admitted in calls to then Mexican president Enrique Pea Nieto that Mexico needed to pay for the wall to fulfil his campaign promise, and to Malcolm Turnbull, then prime minister of Australia, that he would look foolish if he honoured a previous agreement to allow refugees to come to the US.

Studies confirm that mortal terror amplifies support for Trump. Prior to the election, participants reminded of being in pain had more favourable impressions of Hillary Clinton than Trump. However, impressions of Trump improved significantly if participants were reminded of their mortality. Moreover, Americans asked to think about the construction of a mosque in their neighbourhoods, or immigrants moving nearby, showed higher levels of nonconscious death thoughts thus demonstrating that persistent efforts to demonise Muslims and immigrants had been quite successful. Americans also rated Trump more favourably after being asked to imagine a mosque or immigrants in their neighbourhoods.

People do not respond monolithically when existential concerns are aroused. For example, in response to a death reminder, French and US participants who scored high in rightwing authoritarianism characterised by submission to authority, moral absolutism, and punitive intolerance made more pejorative assessments of immigrants. However, participants who scored low on rightwing authoritarianism had more favourable impressions of immigrants after pondering their demise. Additionally, negative reactions to immigrants following death reminders were reduced when participants were also encouraged to think of universal human experiences shared by people from diverse cultures.

These findings suggest the hopeful possibility that we can encourage the development and maintenance of cultural worldviews that emphasise commonalities rather than differences between individuals and foster tolerance of such differences.

It is also important to acknowledge that support for Trump in the US, and similarly rightwing, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim populist movements in Europe, is not solely a defensive reaction to mortal terror. A host of complex political, economic, psychological and cultural considerations contribute to ones political predilections. However, the fact that fleeting death reminders have a potent effect on political preferences conflicts with the democratic ideal that electoral outcomes result from rational deliberation.

Perhaps the best approach to fortifying those democratic ideals is to monitor, expose and oppose efforts by all candidates to exploit existential anxieties for personal and political gain.

When politicians claim we should vote for them because they are uniquely qualified or divinely ordained to eradicate evil, we should actively combat the inclination to allow mortal terror, rather than cogent assessments of candidates qualifications and positions on issues of importance, to determine our choices. Fearmongering mendacity would then become an electoral liability, rather than a potent political advantage.

Sheldon Solomon is a professor of psychology at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. He is co-author, with Jeff Greenberg & Tom Pyszczynski, of The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life

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The secret to Trumps success? Its sheer existential dread - The Guardian