Hamilton Author Ron Chernows New Book Ulysses S. Grant

Hamilton Author Ron Chernow's New Book Ulysses S. Grant Good general, bad president: That’s typically been the historical narrative assigned to Ulysses S. Grant â€" that is, when anyone thinks of the Civil War military leader and 18th president at all. But Ron Chernow, who won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for his biography of George Washington, and who wrote the acclaimed biography of Alexander Hamilton that inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda to write the smash Broadway hit Hamilton, wants America to recognize Grant’s contributions to American history and the democratic process. Chernow’s new book, released this week and simply titled Grant, is full of personal and professional insights into a president and military leader that readers will find simultaneously flawed, relatable, and inspiring. Chernow’s exhaustive research fills in the details (lots of details â€" the book is roughly 1,000 pages long) of the sketch â€" some might say caricature â€" of Grant’s life most of us are familiar with: that of an effective general but a terrible president, and an alcoholic, to boot. The author tackles all of this and more in this tightly packed book, which the New York Post says “could be the new ‘Hamilton,’” in its review. But that’s not why you might want to read Grant â€" not the only reason, at least. It could be a fascinating read because Grant’s cycle of ups and downs, successes and failures both personal and professional, hold some surprising and important insights that regular Americans can apply to their careers today. “I’m sure there are many more people who can identify with failure and hardship in life,” Chernow told TIME in a recent interview, “than with the success of an Alexander Hamilton or a John D. Rockefeller.” Ron Chernow, in his Brooklyn Heights brownstone in New York City. Michael Rubensteinâ€"The Washington Post/Getty Images Here are some of the lessons from Chernow’s new book that readers can apply to their own personal and professional lives. Focus on step-by-step logistics. Chernow makes the argument that Grant’s battlefield prowess lay in his ability to shape military outcomes by grasping the logistics of battle â€" technicalities like maintaining supply lines and communication. To apply Grant’s successful tactics to your own career, try adopt a similar strategy to reach professional goals. Instead of simply deciding where you want to be in five years, figure out what individual steps are necessary to get you there. Then, do what’s needed to accomplish each of these steps. Never stop learning. “He was better educated than people imagined because he was a reader,” Chernow told the Dallas Morning News of Grant. Grant’s reputation as a great military mind was no fluke, but actually the result of dedicated study. “He was called ‘an intuitive general,’ but he knew his tactics,” Chernow says. Play the long game. For all of his presidential foibles, Grant’s contributions to the advancement of civil rights are his most enduring legacy, Chernow argues in the book. Other contemporary biographies, like Ronald C. White’s 2016 American Ulysses, have also advanced helped restore Grant’s reputation as something of a forward-thinker. At the same time, some of Grant’s stances as president made him very unpopular in certain circles. The larger lesson is that doing the right thing might not always make you popular at the time, but focusing on the big picture is of the utmost importance. Persevere no matter how badly you screw up. Lots of people have career setbacks, sometimes through no fault of their own, sometimes self-inflicted. Grant had both, in abundance. But he persevered nonetheless â€" and can be an inspiration to everyone facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles. “He goes through more failure and hardship and degradation I think than anyone else in American history who becomes president,” Chernow said of Grant in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer. He “becomes a hero despite himself.” We’ve included affiliate links into this article. Click here to learn what those are.

Is Your Brand The Ultimate Narcissism - Work It Daily

Is Your Brand The Ultimate Narcissism - Work It Daily Is your brand the ultimate narcissism? My grandmother, who is 86 this year, always told me, “Humility was for people who could afford to be humble,” and when I was 10, “I couldn’t afford it.” She wanted me to be more confident, brag a little bit. I’m sure she was just a proud grandma, and I love her for it. It was only after years of corporate experience that I finally understand what she meant. Of the many cold hard facts of the work-world, one of them is, “You have to ring your own bell.” I can hear some of you chuckling already. I’m sure you had a kindly boss, like I did, who might have seen your potential and wanted to motivate you. Maybe she or he was just giving you career advice as a mentor, or adviser. Whatever the case might be, my lesson was clear, don’t be afraid to brag a little bit. After all, no one in this 60,000 person organization is going to look for me under the carpet or hiding in my cubicle. Perhaps you feel that way when writing your resumes. I know I did. I thought, “Wow, that’s one hell of a claim to make. It was our team who brought in the sale, not just me.” But my HR side said, “Yes, that’s true, but you can’t afford not to ring your own bell.” I watched Julie and Julia the other day and something occurred to me. The movie is about a sad government secretary who embarks on a mission to cook all of Julia Child’s 540 recipes in 364 days, and blog about it, each day. After awhile, she becomes completely self-obsessed. Soon, her marriage is in jeopardy and she wallows even deeper into narcissism. But soon, her idol Julia Child inspires her to take a second look at how she is treating those around her. As the Dalai Lama said, the more you focus on yourself, the more miserable you will be. So, what is all this talk about “Brand-You?” Isn’t that just the epitome of self-obsession and unhappiness? I believe there is a delicate balance, a middle way, between how much we ring our own bell and how much we focus on giving. After all, we don’t live in a vacuum. As we build our brands online, writing articles, taking the voice of authority, commenting critically on blogs or LinkedIn groups, rememberâ€" We may not be good enough to be humble, but a bell that rings too loud get’s silenced. Related Posts Showcase Your Brand Value On Instagram In 5 Steps 10 Ways To Build Your Brand Reputation Online 4 Ways To Give Your Brand A Little Swagger Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

7 Decisions People Make About You in Less Than 30 Seconds

7 Decisions People Make About You in Less Than 30 Seconds When it comes to first impressions, fruchtwein people arent especially interested in nuance. Instead, they make snap decisions based on a variety of factors that may or may notlage have any basis in truth. Even the most well-meaning and non-judgmental folks are prone to this habit. Its just human nature.According to Business Insider, people make 8 immediate choices about newly-introduced coworkers and acquaintances, a phenomenon that psychologists refer to as thin slicing. Minor indicators like posture, clothing selections, and hairstyles feed these perceptions. And while its impossible to stop your colleagues from swiftly making up their minds about you, knowing what drives these ideas can put you ahead of the game and help you manage first appearances.Here are the 8 judgements people make about you within seconds of meeting you.1. People make a choice about your trustworthiness in a fraction of a second.One-tenth of a second , to be exact. Psychological Science claims that a 100-millisecond exposure to a face will provide enough information to lead to a definitive conclusion, whether subconscious or fully present.COMPANY_AD_STANDALONE2. Your fashion sense may lead to assumptions about your status.Its no secret that wearing clothing and accessories from luxury brands makes a statement about your financial situation. But trade publication Evolution and menschlich Behavior takes it a step further, suggesting that carrying a Birkin bag or wearing Gucci loafers may cause those who meet you to mentally categorize you as high status, which can affect the way that they interact with you.3. On a more problematic note, people tend to decide on your sexual orientation immediately.It takes humans one-twentieth of a second to fully recognize and interpret facial expressions. And apparently, thats all the time it takes for people to draw conclusions about your sexual orientation (particularly if you identify as male) , according to the Journal of Experimental Psychology.4. A few minor behavioral habits can make people perceive you as intelligent.While conversation is required to truly gauge a new acquaintances level of acumen, there are a few cues that prompt a quick thats a smart cookie assessment from onlookers. The Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin states that direct eye contact during introductions and expressive speech patterns correlate with perceived intelligence. Also, if you want to come across as especially intellectual, wearing glasses definitely doesnt hurt.5. The way you dress relates to the way that others interpret your level of success.Success, of course, is a highly subjective trait, and everyone has their own mental definition. But when you meet someone for the first time, the fit of your clothing provides information about how successful you are in an empirical sense, particularly if you identify as male. Men wearing tailored outfits come across as more successful tha n men in baggy or ill-fitting ensembles, according to the Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management.6. Visible tattoos on women can lead to highly misogynistic and unfair judgments.We want to preface this section by saying that women should absolutely style themselves however they like, regardless of gendered assumptions. However, Social Psychological and Personality Science did discover that people do place weight on societal stereotypes surrounding tattoos, and women with visible ink are sometimes unfairly categorized as promiscuous, heavy drinkers, most egregiously less attractive than women sans tattoos.7. A thirst for adventure can be communicated by the way you walk.Your particular gait can offer up a glimpse into your personality at large, with introverts and extroverts exhibiting different movement styles. A loose, relaxed stride tells people that youre outgoing, while quicker steps and a stiffer posture relates to perceived neurosis.

The Honest to Goodness Truth on When Writing Resume Do You Speak in past Tense

The Honest to Goodness Truth on When Writing Resume Do You Speak in past Tense Now, the part of the CCA is to take extra portions of routes. Its far better do it right. Generally, well-written resumes concentrate on teamwork and candidates actions. How to gather a fantastic bio step-by-step Pull out your present bio or your CV and present job description anything you have that represents what you do and what youve done before. Generally, a bio is all about 45 paragraphs long. Writing or re-writing a bio is also a fantastic way to distitel that elusive thread or theme you might be searching for. What Does when Writing Resume Do You Speak in past Tense Mean? Books on writing can be helpful to dip in and out of for helpful hints, thoughts and suggestions. When it has to do with online-resume design, easy and sleek is best. Heck, even only a painting could inspire a superb leidion, so likely to galleries and museums are an excellent resource for an aspiring writer. You desi re an easy, sleek and easy-to-read resume. The important thing is designing your resume based on the simple design building blocks of CRAP. So lets examine some methods to compose aggressive, up-to-the-minute resumes that truly SELL you. The Bad Side of when Writing Resume Do You Speak in past Tense HR people are usually pretty well educated and might observe the misuse of tenses. English grammar can be challenging, and, plenty of times, the words that sound right are actually erroneous. If youre able to find more unique, more zeugungsfhig action verbs, you have the potential to provide your resume a lot increased presence. A simple and effective means to do so is to choose action verbs which are more unique to your experiences, and not the exact same verbs which everyone else is using on their retail resume. You should commence paying almost all of your focus to the past, present, and future components of your character profile. Otherwise, its something to contemplate if you find yourself getting an offer. So long as your resume isnt cluttered and is not hard to read, spilling over onto another page isnt likely to be excessive. If you need to run your writing past a particular person whos not in your business or your field, like a fantastic friend, partner or relative, do that. Therefore, in the event the cover letter doesnt impress him, he might not even bother to appear further, even if your resume is stellar. The main thing you ought to be aware of is that the type of the verb in a sentence changes based on once the action described occurs. Writing targeted, employer-specific and beneficial cover letters is one proven method to do it. Ensure that your resume is printed with the suitable margin measurements, also. If you presently do the job somewhere, you can place that in the current tense. There are several common action verbs utilized in nearly all resumes. For all former jobs, you should take advantage of past tense. The very fi rst step of writing an excellent reflective essay is picking a topic, so choose wisely Writing a strong resume isnt a simple task. If youre writing about what you did in a former job, you ought to use the past tense. If youre writing about what youre doing do in your present job, you ought to use the present tense.

Job Worn Out its Welcome Know When its Time to Go

Job Worn Out its Welcome Know When its Time to Go One of the most sought after traits in a job is securitythe knowledge that your job will be there for as long as you need it. And it doesnt take much of a stretch of the imagination to see how moving jobs can be a major life stressor even if an employees potential is higher at another company. But sometimes it is impossible to remain at a job for a number of reasons, be it related to development opportunities, work environment, or the condition of the economy. Take a look at some of the symptoms of a job that may be holding back yourcareer so that you can better determine whether it is time to consider seeking employment in greener pastures Your Job doesnt Cater to Your StrengthsNo one is good at everything and there are many positions where one may find that the skills he or she has dedicated years to cultivating just arent relevant to their curre nt job. ur effectiveness at our jobs is also closely related to how much we enjoy performing the everyday tasks required of the work. If you cant stand what you are doing, this is an immediate red flag that you are in the wrong business.Sometimes the problem is with an organizations management. Good management will delegate work in a way that assigns tasks to those employees who are best equipped toperform them. That is, the stronger an employee performs in a task, the more likely he or she is to regularly work at that task. Unfortunately, not all managers are good managers and often do a poor job at delegating with the end result being a workplace full of unhappy employees.Your Trek up the Corporate Ladder is Slow to StagnantMost companies, especially large companies who have gone public, are intensely focused on increasing profits from quarter to quarter, meaning most of a corporate executives day is spent obsessing with the bottom line instead of organizational talent. Unfortunat ely, your company may not have the time or resources to work on developing and promoting their employees. If you feel that your future is limited at your current employer, now is a great time to develop an exit strategy.Your Work Environment is Unhealthy or Operates on Unethical PrinciplesYour surroundings, and the people who inhabit them on a daily basis, have a profound effect on how you feel about your job and your level of performance. A workplace that generates low morale among employees is likely to produce an environment of complacency and indifference. Additionally, if unethical, immoral, or unprincipled behavior is the accepted norm at your workplace, its probably a good time to take the risk and seek out a healthier employer with a supportive and ethical environment.Business is Slowing to a Crawl with No Signs of ImprovementWhile ausverkauf positions are most prone to feeling the effects of a dying business at first, eventually, if the customer pool dries up, no ones salar y is getting paid. In the world of business, loyalty is a precious commodity but dont let this noble trait lead you to unemployment. If a company is tanking, let it go and find a job at a more financially secure company.

Negotiate With Confidence

Negotiate With ConfidenceNegotiate With ConfidenceDont just know your worth, know how to sell it.iVillage Chief CorrespondentKelly Wallaceand I spoke with Kathie Lee and Hoda on theTODAY showabout a surveyiVillagereleased on women in the workplace. According to the survey, only 35 percent of the 1,500 women polled online have ever asked for a raise, and less than 20 percent have ever asked for a promotion.The fact of the matter is, if you dont ask for what you want, you wont get it you have to negotiate. We see this all the time in the workplace. Men expect the raise and ask for it women keep their nose to the grindstone, hoping their hard work will be recognized and, hopefully, rewarded.By not negotiating, you are setting yourself up to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars over the lifetime of your career. To Sheryl Sandbergs point, we have to lean in if we want mora. Here are a several ways you can set yourself up for successful negotiations.Do your homework.If youre going to neg otiate confidently, you need to be prepared. Whether youre asking for a raise or negotiating a new contract, first gather all the facts. Use resources like Salary.com and Ladders competitive analysis tool, Scout to determine the average compensation sortiment for the role youre vying for, taking into account the location, industry, and company size.Know your worth.What do you bring to the table? Make a list of your major contributions and accomplishments, quantifying them whenever possible. How have you (or will you be able to) cut costs, increase revenue, make things run more efficiently, improve customer satisfaction, etc.? Use this list to remind you of your value and prepare for negotiations.Leave emotion at the door.Negotiation is not about one person winning and the other losing. Instead, it is about each party giving a little to keep or get what they want most. Its business, not personal.If you feel your emotions rising, hold off on negotiating until you can stay cool, calm, and collected. These will breed the fourth C confidenceFake it till you make it.Most executives agree that confidence is essential to being a good leader and strong negotiator. You have to exude self-assurance, even when you feel lost and helpless. Never apologize for negotiating own it. All too often women apologize when theyve done nothing wrong and, as a result, they are viewed by men as being weak or lacking conviction. Do not let yourself fall into that trap.Empower yourself.Negotiation can be learned, but it takes practice. Role play with your partner or a friend, and dont forget, you negotiate more than you know it. Whether youre debating who will wash the dishes after dinner or negotiating with your five-year old over bedtime, youre practicing those skills.If youd like more information on negotiation, I recommend picking up a copy of A Womens Guide to Successful Negotiation , by Lee E. Miller and Jessica Miller, and Negotiating Your Salary How to Make $1000 a Minute , by J ack Chapman.

24 Quick Tips That Will Improve Your Writing

24 Quick Tips That Will Improve Your Writing24 Quick Tips That Will Improve Your Writing Every day, we write college papers, blog posts, work documents, emails and social media updates. Our writing represents who we are personally and professionally, so its worth it to hone your skills. Here are twenty-five tips to help you communicate better in text.Maybe you want to write a certain number of words per day or upgrade your vocabulary. You cant reach a goal unless you have one , so write that goal down and work toward it.For many people, writing comes easier right after a good nights sleep. Grammarlys research also shows early birds make fewer writing mistakes .Heres a tip Grammarly runs on powerful algorithms developed by the worlds leading linguists, and it can save you from misspellings, hundreds of types of grammatical and punctuation mistakes, and words that are spelled right but used in the wrong context. Learn MoreBefore you begin writing, do some reconnaissan ce reading. Take notes as you read up on your subject material. Ideas will form as you research.Heres a tip Once youve jumped into the writing process, dont stop to do mora research. Instead, add a placeholder like RESEARCH and keep rolling. You can come back to finalize facts and add references when your first draft is finished.If you often find yourself rambling on without a clear structure, start with an outline. Follow this simple, no-fail outlining process to organize yourself from the start.Brevity is important in professional communication . Respect your colleagues time by knowing exactly what you need to communicate before you begin writing so you can keep your message concise.Does the person youre communicating with have the same information and frame of reference you do? If not, make koranvers you provide context. You dont have to give the entire backstory, just fill in the missing pieces so your message will be clear.Use good email formatting structure . Write an enticin g subject line so your recipient is compelled to open your email. Understand proper email salutations and closings .Yes, you might be irked at your colleague for dropping the ball on that project and making you look bad, but dont send emails when youre still fuming. If you must write when emotions are hot, do it offline. Walk away for at least twelve hours, then edit with a calm head.Heres a tip Dont treat email as anything less than an extension of your professional persona . The way you communicate in professional settings reflects on you in a potentially lasting way.Typos and grammar gaffes make you look bad. Scan your email and fix errors before you send it. Youll look your best when your correspondence is mistake-freeYour writing should sound natural and fluid. Unless youre communicating in a more formal context, write as though youre talking to a friend.We just said Write like you talk, but theres a caveat - dont ramble. Avoid winding twists and turns, and dont use filler wo rds such as like , really and you know . Good writing should get to the point and avoid fluff.No matter what the message, we humans are drawn to stories. Consider Pixars guide Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.Empathy can improve all kinds of writing, from fiction to content marketing to email outreach. Take the time to put yourself in your readers place. Are you preaching to them, or are you engaging them by showing that you relate to their feelings and experiences?The more interested you are about the subject youre writing about, the more intrigued your readers will be with what youve written.Heres a tip Faced with less-than-inspiring subject material for an assigned project? Find a fascinating angle for your story. With the right approach, its even possible to write an interesting story about something unappealing.Whenever possible, dont edit just after youve finished writing. Come back aft er a break and review with fresh eyes. Even stepping away for a quick walk or a cup of coffee can help you shift gears from writer to editor.When you edit, its time to cut the fluff. Every word needs a job, and those that arent pulling their weight have to go. Heres our list of words and phrases you can eliminate right now .Get rid of most adverbs and use stronger verb choices instead . When you do, ran swiftly becomes darted and cried pitifully becomes wailed . Remember what Stephen King said I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs.The comma is a misunderstood punctuation mark. There are a number of rules for proper comma usage, but if you study them, theyll become second nature. Heres a quick guide . And heres another that lists the most common comma struggles and how to solve them .We often write in the order that ideas and thoughts come to us, but thats not always the best way to present the final product.Heres a tip If you didnt outline before you began writing, try outlining your finished draft. Sometimes, the process of outlining a finished draft will reveal paragraphs or whole sections that would make more sense if they were moved.One of the best ways to find clumsy sentence structure is to read your writing aloud. If you stumble as youre reading, take a look at the sentence you tripped over and see if you can clear it up.We all have our writing struggles. Make a list of your most frequent mistakes so you can easily find and eliminate them next time.Heres a tip Let Grammarly do the tracking for you Members receive free weekly email insights , which include not only statistics about their writing habits and level of mastery, but their top writing mistakes.Sometimes a second pair of eyes can prove helpful. Just remember the mnemonic, TWYWALTR - in creative circles, it means Take What You Want And Leave The Rest. Give all the advice you receive your full consideration, but make your own choices in the end.Editing yourself is hard. Grammarlys app can help you find all kinds of writing errors . Think of it as a helpful friend looking over your shoulder and saying, Hey, that doesnt seem quite right. Want to take another look?Read about writing. (Youre here, so youre off to a good start) Read in general, and youll learn style and grammar by osmosis. And practice often. The best way to improve your writing is by doing it. OnwardThis article was originally published on Grammarly . It is reprinted with permission.