Like looking for a new place to live, job hunting is one of those things when it rains, it pours. But leading up to that point you face a serious, and often long, drought.

Lets be real, its bloody hard to find the motivation for a long job hunt. REALLY hard. At a certain point we start to believe well be rejected before we even begin and stop putting so much effort into our applications which is really the main way to sabotage our chances and continue the vicious cycle.

Next time youre on the hunt, try these three tips to stay motivated and get out of your rut or avoid them int he first place.

I know all that self-helpy, write-down-your-goals stuff can seem super lame, but theres a lot of evidence backing up the idea that having clear goals set on paper can help you achieve them.

In terms of job hunting, writing down your career goals will make it easier to know WHY youre hunting and what sort of role will be beneficial to your professional life.

Once you know those things, you can start narrowing down the roles youre applying to. I know that sometimes we just need to get the heck out of our current situations, or we find ourselves without a job and need one asap. In that case, you obviously might find a need to expand the search again.

However, typically we just know were ready to move on from our current jobs but have no great hurry. So be selective and dont burn yourself out applying to jobs that dont sound exciting or helpful to your career advancement.

No-one can work forever without burning out, no matter what the task. The same is true of looking for a new role. The best way to maintain motivation in a long job hunt is to take a regular step back from it.

Read, go for a walk, hit the gym, see friends: whatever it is, give yourself at least a day to forget about looking for a new career and to just reset.

Happy hunting!

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How To Find Motivation For A Long Job Hunt Even When You'd Rather Poke Yrself In The Eye - Pedestrian TV

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Bow Wow, 33; Brittany Snow, 34; Matthew Gray Gubler, 40; Juliette Binoche, 56.

Happy Birthday: Gravitate toward the people and places that make you feel the most comfortable. Take on what fits your schedule and will encourage you to use your skills where it makes the most sense. What you contribute and how you get along with others will determine the outcome. Go with the grain, not against it, and youll find yourself on the path to victory. Your numbers are 5, 17, 24, 27, 31, 38, 44.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Diplomacy and charm will help you avoid a situation that can put a dent in your reputation or position. Let everyone else voice his or her opinions first. Refuse to let anger take over and compromise your chance to get ahead. 3 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Talk to people who can offer knowledge and insight into something that interests you. A new lifestyle or educational pursuit will change the way you do things as well as how you prioritize. Personal change is favored. 5 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Dont waste time or energy lamenting over something you cannot change. Strive to learn something new and apply it to your life and prospects. Use your intelligence to stop people from using emotional manipulation to take advantage of you. 2 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Recognize your potential and what you can do to make your life better. Opportunity is within reach, but you have to be willing to compromise and make necessary adjustments. A personal change will make you more easily understood. 4 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Dont let anyone interfere in your life. Rumors will lead to a problem with someone you love. Take up a new hobby or work on personal growth and accomplishments. Using reverse psychology will help you get your way. 3 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Set up meetings, and you will accomplish what you set out to do. Your power of persuasion will come in handy when you want someone to step up and do his or her part. An idea will lead to changes at home. 3 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Dont misinterpret what the messenger is telling you. Listen to someone who has always been there for you. Do things differently, and offer incentives to get your way. Anger does not become you, so dont go there. 3 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Dont procrastinate if you move forward. Show everyone whos the boss and how good you are at handling whatever comes your way. Strive for perfection, and youll make an impression. Love and romance are on the rise. 4 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Observe what others are doing, and you will see who is making all the decisions. Stay on top of situations to avoid being left out. A power play involving money will cause stress. Dont reveal secrets or what you plan to do next. 2 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Do your best to secure your position. If you want to be a leader, act like one and make decisions. Legal contracts can be drawn up and signed. Your expertise will give you the edge you need to seal a deal. 5 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Helping others will bring out the best in you. A partnership that can offer benefits will put you in a good position. Negotiate on your behalf, and dont be afraid to tackle something new. 3 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A personal change will motivate you to aspire to higher levels and to reach out to people with whom you feel comfortable discussing your intentions and plans. A positive outlook will result in more significant opportunities and gains. Romance is in the stars. 3 stars

Birthday Baby: You are aggressive, smart and determined. You are competitive and persistent.

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Virgo: Your ability to persuade will help in motivating others - Lewiston Sun Journal

As a business leader trying to build a brand in this crazy, fast-paced world, much of your job will come down to engaging and motivating your employees. After all, if top talent is what youre after and if employee retention is your goal, you need to be proactive and you need to incentivize and inspire them to stay at your side through thick and thin.

Dont be fooled into thinking that your team members will want to stay just because youre handing out hefty paychecks every month (although thats also an important factor), because theyll have no problem leaving you for a sweeter deal after all, the modern job market is vast and full of opportunities, and millennials arent afraid to quit. That said, you shouldnt break the bank trying to woo your team members either, so lets take a look at some of the most cost-effective ways to motivate and engage your employees.

Communication is the foundation of trust, transparency, honesty, company culture, and everything in between. The common trait of just another boss is that they dont really care about the individual, nor do they appreciate them for who they are. Rather, they see their team members as merely cogs in a wheel, pawns helping you and your company achieve its goals. As you might have guessed, this is a surefire way to drive the best of the best straight through the front door.

To prevent this, its important that you make communication more natural, personal, and oriented towards work and non-work-related topics. Sure, you have a lot of work to do and deadlines to meet, but that doesnt mean that you cant joke around on company time, engage in meaningful conversations, or diverge from the subject for a bit to lighten the mood before getting back into it because it might just help you boost morale and re-energize your team.

Speaking of effective communication and what it can do for your employees morale, always remember that the modern employee wants and needs to feel appreciated and respected. That said, in order to make your team members feel this way, you also have to earn their trust, so all of this has to come together through personalization. Engaging with the individual and showing them that you care is one of the most powerful and rewarding things you can do as a leader, so dont waste this opportunity.

Start by doing your research. Notice how every one of your team members behaves in the workplace, and how they interact with their colleagues. Note down their most prominent characteristics. Next, engage in personal and meaningful communication. Be their friend, invite them to your office for a quick chat, and just ask how theyre doing, if theres anything you can do for them, and let them confide in you. This is how you set yourself apart as a true leader.

You cant hope to build a team of devoted employees if your company is still clinging to the old ways. Quite simply, you need to change and evolve with the times and the trends that shape the modern workplace, and that means providing the perks your employees need to feel valued, empowered, safe, and happy.

For example, you might think that paying your employees on time is enough, but going the extra mile and implementing a payroll system that is more convenient for them can make a big difference. Traditional paper checks can be a real hassle, so opting for employee income cards will show your employees that you care. Payroll card programs are more convenient and less wasteful, and it can be time-saving both for you and your employees.

The modern employee cares about the brand they work for, its unique identity and culture, as well as the values it promotes both internally and externally. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to create a traditional corporate environment that your employees cant connect with, or want to connect with for that matter. This is why you need to build a positive company culture, and promote your brand among your team members.

Promotional materials work wonderfully for this purpose, as these materials allow you to position your brand as an important part of their everyday life, and help them associate that positive company culture with your name every time they use the product. Remember, its not just about nurturing a positive work environment, its also about those finer details that make a brands image truly stick.

And lastly, dont forget to give plenty of praise for a job well done. That said, a simple pat on the shoulder and sincere smile wont do, as you should create a comprehensive reward program for your team members that will reward them with something truly meaningful, something they actually need or that improves their overall quality of life. And whatever you do, be sure to tailor the reward to the individual to make it more personal, functional, and ultimately, show that you view them as an important part of your brand.

Motivating the modern employee to give it their best all every single day is definitely not an easy task. We live in a stressful, fast-paced world where the game is changing constantly and new opportunities are popping up at every corner, so its important that you recognize what truly matters to your team members, and provide them with the incentives they need to fall in love with their workplace.

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5 Cost-Effective Ways to Motivate and Engage Your Team Members - socPub

Even as the world reels under the COVID-19 crisis and more and more companies are asking employees to work remotely, home offices are slowly becoming the new norm. However, working from home doesnt have to be drab! Besides better work-life balance and no commute, a home office allows you to design the workspace that inspired you and reflects your personality.

Here are a couple of tips to help you spruce up your workspace.

Light up your life

One way to glam up a home office is by refreshing your lighting. Bring in an element of quirk that reflects your personality.

This floor lamp fro Studio Oorja is from the Bengaluru-based collection called Fibre fables, that comprises light fixtures that harmoniously bring together two contrasting materials. While the main structure is made using faux concrete sourced from the quarries, the weaves through which the light filters are made from Water Hyacinth flowers from the Tungabhadra river or with banana fibre.

A touch of green

Add some life to your space, so youll want to linger. A plant is said to keep you feeling calm, cleans your air looking pretty is a bonus!

In addition to being low-cost, terrariums need little additional care and they can be tailored to fit in any room. We recommend thejade plant is a succulent and a renowned good luck plant to attract wealth.

Get artsy

Even if you're crunching numbers all day, fill your office with vibrant art to energise your space and make you feel motivated. Try creating a wall gallery with some of your favourite pictures, quotes or even doodles.

Here are some of our favourite Indian artists and their doodles that you could add to your workspace. Woodle Doodle Designs, Vimal Chandran, Paper Planes Doodle, Alicia Souza.

Mix and match

Don't be afraid to steal decor from other rooms in the house. A mix of vintage and modern makes a home feel warm and lived in and personal.

Whether its an aged roll top desk or vintage lamp, and pair these with brand new items, like bright chairs for guests to use when youre hosting a meeting from home.

Let the light shine through

Stay connected to the great outdoors by letting natural light in this also makes space feel much bigger.

Move your desk close to the windows, but place it parallel to the panes. This ideal set-up gives you the happiness benefits of natural light, and a good reason to turn away from your computer every few minutes to take in the scene.

Read more here:
5 home office ideas that will keep you to motivated to work all-day - Indulgexpress

The Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation (MCWT) set out to explore what is necessary for it to achieve its mission of inspiring and growing women in tech. To that end, MCWT conducted a study that involved input from a range of ages and stages for its 67-page report, Explore, Focus, Grow: A Tech Career Journey in Michigan.

Close to 500 participants were surveyed from girls as young as fifth grade to college students to women working in tech and even the people whose job it is to recruit and retain tech talent. The questions they answered revealed what motivates them to enter the field and what keeps them on the tech track. (Read We Asked Why There Aren't More Women In Tech.)

It also shared their recommendations for inspiring, recruiting and retaining women in tech, starting from middle school.

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It all begins with motivation. For many, their motivation goes back to elementary school as a spark of inspiration from a parent or teacher who showed them the possibilities of tech. The quotes from the young women aspiring to tech careers include this one:

"Just being able to be on the forefront of all big change. I think technology has the ultimate power to make a difference, and I want to be a part of that.

While they recognize that tech is a consistently growing field that will offer them a number of different job opportunities, they also see it as offering them the possibility of fulfillment. (Read What Do Women in Tech Want?)

They cite different motivations:

Over a quarter of the university level students (26%) said they were concerned about women being underrepresented in tech. Impostor syndrome is also an issue, as 23% admitted they were not as confident of their abilities as they should be.

If youre a businessperson or Windows power-user looking to make this popular software program work for you, the buck stops here! Free offer expires 3/17/2020.

Among the quotes recorded on that was this:

I think my main concern is just being taken seriously and also taking myself seriously. I suffer from a textbook case of impostor syndrome which I think can sometimes hold me back.

The concerns reported by women already working in the field are similar. About a third (34%) cite lack of representation, and 27% complain of gender bias.

One of the respondent quotes was:

It's still very much a male-dominated field, so proving your value and demonstrating thought leadership is still challenging.

Another observed:

I find myself being the only woman at the table more often than not, and whether true or perceived, I often am made to feel 'less than. However, she added a note of optimism: With a stronger team of women, we will be able to make a stronger impact.

MCWTs position is that the remedy for most of the womens concerns is continued exposure to role models and getting connected to mentors. The importance of mentorship for women is a general theme among those giving advice for women in tech, as we saw in Top Career Tips for Women Working in Technology.

The difference between having a mentor and not having one can determine whether a woman will take a particular position and if shell stay at the company down the road. (Read 12 Top Women in Tech Right Now.)

That is consistent with what university students told MCWT when asked for their recommendations for improving the situation of women in tech as 26% recommended increasing the networking/mentorship/internship opportunities for women.

As one observed: Seeing women in the jobs you want to be in makes it seem more possible and real.

Increasing outreach was the second most popular recommendation (23%) That included suggestions to come to schools with some specific ideas like job fairs that would include:

Resum checks and mock interview sessions to help better prepare young women for the workforce.

The events were also suggested as a way to boost exposure to female mentors that provide a positive role model.

Another 22% recommended stepping up these activities for the younger set:

Get students started young, relate the love of technology to the devices that they use everyday already.

One of these suggestions accentuate the positive outlook that this particular woman has found in her own experience:

Everyone says engineering is hard, and forget to mention that it is so much fun. I have never felt like I am being treated differently because of my gender. We should focus more on how nothing is impossible.

Given the concerns about impostor syndrome, 9% offer recommendations to reinforce confidence:

I would tell them to make sure the young women know how smart they are and to never doubt themselves in a field like this.

From the perspective of those who want to attract women in their open tech positions, it can be valuable to know what they look for. For 35% of women already working flexibility is a priority. The same percentage expressed regard for work-life balance in tech.

Other priorities they noted included the opportunity to connect with mentors (26%) and further training (21%).

But they also are looking for the possibility of career advancement as shown by other women who have made it up a higher rung on the corporate ladder. Its the consensus of 95% of the women surveyed that: Highlighting women in leadership positions was very to somewhat effective when it came to recruiting female talent.

The reason there are far fewer women at the top in tech is that about half of them drop out at some point in their 30s, according to a Harvard Business Review special report.

This is why retention is as important as recruitment in achieving parity. The women surveyed offered their answers to the question: What is your driving motivation for continuing to work in IT/technology over other fields?

Some of the answers echoed the list of motivations for entering the field, though in somewhat different levels:

But its not just about a fulfilling outlet or time for family. The top consideration in making a career of tech was: Compensation for effort.

Furthermore, which 58% of women identified among the top three reasons for working in tech.

That was followed by job stability for 45% and: "opportunities for personal growth" for 44%. Flexibility and work-life balance only ranked fourth and fifth, garnering 38% and 36% respectively.

The same concerns come across in the recommendations women wrote in for retention, though the percentages shift somewhat. The recommendation offered by 46% was centered on offering training, growth opportunities and support.

However, some merge that with women in leadership, as evidenced by the quotes:

Make a conscious effort to promote female talent. And: More women in leadership.

Flexibility was suggested by 29%. One of the quotes reflected the level of detail that can only come from direct experience:

What this also reveals is that women dont want to suffer any career setbacks for the perk of flexibility. They dont want to be mommy tracked.

Close to a quarter (24%) also pointed out the need to address and correct bias in culture.

Strive for a culture that includes women in key roles so female talent can see a career path, suggested one.

Another put it in more concrete terms:

Treat women with equal opportunity as men. Do not talk over women or treat women as emotional beings.

While pay was identified as primary priority for women, only 12% mentioned pay equity in their recommendation. It is possible, however, that they considered included in the recommendations to address bias and offer opportunities for advancement.

Certainly the cultural aspect is implied in one of the quotes: Pay women well and hire men who are professional and capable of working well with women.

As we saw in Minding the Gender Gap, women are far from equal in the tech field, holding just about a quarter of the positions and getting paid close to 12% less than their male counterparts.

What they want is what men want, which is to be taken seriously about their career choice and given the opportunity to advance according to their merit without any bias against their sex holding them back.

See the article here:
A Women in Tech Study: Motivation, Recruitment and Retainment - Techopedia

The Lake Catholic wrestling team is flying under the radar this week. They might even feel a little disrespected.

That's OK with them.

When the Cougars' contingent of eight walks into the Jerome Schottenstein Center for the state wrestling tournament that will run March 13-15, they will do so without any projected state champions and as an afterthought by many, if not most, on the Division II state leaderboard.

Just the way they like it.

"I keep telling our guys the rest of the world is probably counting us out," said Coach Scott Hivnor. "I think we have the capabilities of getting many placers and several finalists and champions. We're more than capable of coming home with a trophy."

In the most recent rankings by IntermatOhio wrestling guru Josh Lowe, Lake Catholic is projected to place eighth in the Division II team race this weekend, with 113-pound Brendan McCrone (projected to finish as state runner-up) and 182-pound Cole Hivnor (projected to finish third) the only two wrestlers given a shot at state-title possibilities.

Not like they would know.

Scott Hivnor has put a gag order on his wrestlers looking at rankings or talking about them.

But they DO know not much is expected of them.

And that's part of their fire this weekend.

"I really don't look at them, per se," said junior Cole Hivnor, a two-time state placer of rankings. "I always know where I'm ranked. I know if I don't get beat, I'm not moving (in the ranks)."

Senior Nick Coreno, ranked eighth at 138, agrees.

"I never look at my weight class and division," he said. "I pretty much know who is in my weight class. It doesn't matter where anyone is ranked anyway."

Cole Hivnor, McCrone and Coreno will be joined in Columbus this weekend by freshman Brock Herman (106), sophomore Ethan Smith (132), junior Anthony Trivisonno (145), junior Rob Boley (160) and senior Owen Weaver (195).

Nearly two decades has passed since Lake Catholic had last sent eight wrestlers to the state tournament. The Cougars have accomplished that feat two years in a row.

"It says a lot," Cole Hivnor said of eight qualifiers this year. "Nobody thought we'd get eight. Our coaches the whole time said we were gonna get eight-plus. And that's what we did. We just trusted our training."

The Cougars feel their schedule this season has tested them well for what they're about to encounter at the state tournament.

A group of five Herman, McCrone, Coreno, Trivisonno and Hivnor wrestled in the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, touted as the toughest high school tournament in the country. The Cougars also took part in the Grizzly Invitational in Wadsworth, the North Canton tournament and the Brecksville Holiday Tournament, all featuring a Who's Who in Ohio wrestling lineup of teams.

Additionally, the Cougars advanced to the regional finals in the dual tournament, losing to Aurora, 31-30.

Even before all of that, five Cougars Smith, Boley, McCrone, Hivnor and Trivisonno wrestled in the freestyle nationals in Fargo, N.D. over the summer.

"I think that's a huge advantage our guys have," Scott Hivnor said of the Lake Catholic schedule. "We've wrestled the best kids in the country, not just the state. That makes tournaments like the state tournament a little less intimidating."

The current group of Lake Catholic wrestlers is a tight-knit group, Scott Hivnor said. They wrestled in the Lake youth club, all the way up through junior high, freestyle and now the state tournament.

"We've been all over the country trying to prepare our kids for big arenas and big venues," he said. "So when they get to state, they realize, 'Hey, we've wrestled in big places like this before.'"

The Cougars believe in themselves, their training, their schedule and where it's led them.

They believe, even if not everyone else does.

"These kids love each other support each other and want to win," Scott Hivnor said. "That culture is a big reason we are in this position right now."

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Lake Catholic wrestling: Lake Eight motivated to prove pundits wrong - News-Herald.com

With many companies in the UK now encouraging their staff to work from home, and an ever- increasing likelihood of a lockdown to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, masses of employees will be working remotely.

Although to some working from home is a dream situation, it comes with its challenges, and one of the biggest is how to stay motivated when youre working alone and remotely.

Jordan Baker, CEO of Sanity Marketing who has worked with over 650 clients from the House of Commons to the Crowne Plaza Hotel chain, has revealed five ways to stay motivated while working from home.

READ MORE: Five benefits of remote working

Its easy when working from home to get comfortable wherever you please, whether its the sofa or your bed. But to increase productivity, its important to set up a home office or at least a set working desk to keep your mind work-focused and keep your work separate from other aspects of your home-life.

With no set starting or finishing time or public transport to catch, its easy to work too many hours or perhaps not enough hours. Setting a strict start time to your day and setting an alarm means you will be in a structured routine. Its also a good idea to have a dedicated finishing time so you dont work too many hours.

Particularly when working from home, its easy to fall victim to unhealthy snacking and sitting at your work desk for long periods of time. Ensure you take regular breaks and make healthy meals, and also incorporate exercise into your day, making sure youre not spending long, intense hours completing your work without moving.

READ MORE: How to make a good impression if you work from home

When youre wrapped up in completing your work, its easy to work all hours of the day without taking breaks. Its important to enjoy regular breaks in order to refresh the mind, and these can be in short, sharp bursts throughout the day. Its also important to stand up and move around to stretch your body out and be as comfortable as possible during your work.

Working from home can be lonely. Schedule some video calls with colleagues and contacts throughout the day. Some home-workers even work in chat-rooms with colleagues on in the background for that truly social office feel.

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Coronavirus: How to stay motivated and productive when working remotely - Yahoo Sports

Niall Horan is motivated by the "thought of failure".

The 26-year-old singer - who is poised to release his second solo album, 'Heartbreak Weather' - has revealed that the fear of failing has fuelled his passion for his new record.

Asked what his career has taught him about the idea of success and failure, Niall shared: "You can sit there and dwell on the idea of failure, you can let it really upset you but it's going to damage your songwriting, which means you will fail. Or you can grab it by the scruff of the neck!

"For this album I've written my best stuff, because I wasn't in the studio every day going, 'Oh, this is going to be a disaster.' The thought of failure drives me to want to outdo myself all the time and be as big as I can.

"I did exams when I was in school and I'd walk in and just go, 'Well, I've already failed this. Is there much point?' And I've walked out of exams after 20 minutes. But there are times when you have to tell yourself the opposite."

Despite the pressures of fame, Niall is determined to live "as a normal life" as possible.

He told Glamour UK magazine: "I'm generally not an overthinker, but if I say it's going to affect me in some way, I'll think about it for a long time and that'd be it for a couple of days. Then it'll just be gone, and I'll be like, 'What was that about?'

"Personally, I try to live as a normal life as I can. I think that's helped. I try and do real normal things - which I know sounds crazy - like I'll go on the bus or the tube or go to the shop.

"That was stuff that I couldn't do before, I'll just hang around with my mates and just be really Irish about it by being quite reserved and keeping myself to myself. I think having the normal life and having the friends that I have I think has been huge for me, big time."

More here:
Niall Horan: I'm motivated by the thought of failure - Herald-Mail Media

Everyone needs a little encouragement from time to time, something that is on full display right here in this workout with a dog.

A clip of Magnus the therapy dog busting some killer moves with his owner has made the duo an exercise sensation on Instagram and Twitter. Magnus, you see, is a three-year-old Lab and certified therapy dog who clearly has a keen eye for subpar sit-ups and a take-no-prisoners attitude.

In the short video, Magnus spots his owner, rests atop him for some weighted pressups and just generally provides the most fitspirational company a gym-goer could dream of. Yes, Magnus even does the downward facing dog!

Magnus has collecting plenty of praise and admiration from the masses hopefully even the occasional doggie treat as a post-cardio snack because theres no excuse for skipping a set with mans best friend as a motivator. Personal training will never be the same again.

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No One Takes a Workout to the Next Level Like This Very Motivational Therapy Dog - TIME

Nearly a decade after his death, Jobs remains one of the most fascinating and iconic business leaders of the past century--and perhaps in all of history.

It was "very hard," Bouissoutold me when we talked afterward. "Steve, like Napoleon, had two faces. On one side he was a brilliant genius and a true misfit. And the other side, his lack of care and sensitivity for people, his disrespect and dictatorial behavior, were all real."

Here's the context, plus what it was like to work for Jobs, and how Bouissoulearned firsthand the unique way that Jobs could inspire and motivate employees.

Bouissou started at Apple in 1995, whileJobs was in exile, running NeXT. Ashe tells the story, he was an early advocate of e-commerce, and he wanted Apple to trysellingits products directly to consumers.

The idea fell flat when he pitched it to Apple's leadership. (In fairness, this was in the very early days of the consumer internet, when people could hardly imagine inputting a credit card number online.)

But then Apple bought NeXT, and when Jobs became CEO, he enthusiastically embraced the idea. As a result, Bouissou got his crash course in leadership, Steve Jobs-style.

Here's what he said he learned from the experience:

If you read no further, the most important thingBouissou learned from Jobs about leading people was the importance of always focusing on the right priorities.

"The first lesson was like, don't [just] focus but hyperfocus," he told me. "Think what really matters the most ... I think Steve had this unique ability, which I've never seen in anybody else. He exhibited an intense and obsessive focus."

Working on his e-commerce project, Bouissou said, the focus became largely about the user experience and the flow--all of which were new and relatively untried elsewhere at the time.

Bouissou technically had a boss between Jobs and himself, but he said Jobsdidn't seem to care about the organizational chart. He'd go around the bureaucracy constantly.

"Steve's way of managing people [was] that he basically goes over the boss and goes directly to you," Bouissou said. "So I had a number of interactions about the design of the online store, the user interface, the front end, and navigation. He was very involved and very picky and very on top of things."

I'm reminded here of a similar story I wrote last year, from when Jobs decided at the last minute in 2007 that he wanted real glass, not a plastic screen, on theiPhone. He got it done by skipping over all the development and sourcing specialists, and goingdirectly to the CEO of Gorilla Glass.

Having studied Jobsquite a bit,I found it interesting the degree to which Bouissou almost started to sound a bit like him as our interview went on.

This became most apparent when he talked about iteration and refining, so you can identify the one or two most important things to focus on. You do that, he says, on the basis ofhis time with Jobs, by trying big things and then stripping out the parts that turn out to be unimportant.

"Simplicity is hard," he said. "I think it takes many, many iterations to peel something to its core, to its most simple and most eloquent form of expression -- and really to its truth."

This is my favorite insight. It's about the ultimate reason for all that dedication to simplicity and focus. It should theoretically apply to just about any business.

"This is something I derived from working with Steve;it wasn't something that I've ever heard him say," Bouissou said. "But, if you think about it, what is the difference between Caterpillar, Farmers, Ford Motor Company, Krispy Kreme, or Pixar Animation Studios? All five companies are in the exact same business with the exact same goal and purpose, which is to manufacture and deliver delight."

With Jobs, he said, manufacturing delight was partially a matter of reacting to products and ideas with all five senses: How would they sound? How would they feel? Even, how would they smell?

The e-commerce project was a success, but Bouissou told me working for Jobs took a significant toll.

"You either stay married with me, or you marry Steve," his wife told him at once point. "I'm not going to go on like this."

By 1998, he'd moved on, but he found himself thinking about the experience.

Then, when Jobs died in 2011, he said, he went by the former CEO'shouse in Palo Alto, California, where he marveled at the array of "hundreds of artifacts and drawings and apples and poems and things" that people had left as a memorial.

"He was a remarkable man,"Bouissou said. "He was an exceptional man. I never met anybody like him."

Published on: Mar 8, 2020

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