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GOOD IDEAS CAN COME FROM ANYONE. NO MATTER HOW OLD THEY ARE

A CEO of a multibillion dollar company with over 100,000 employees actually acknowledged that a 5-year-old had identified a major problem and translated it from Idea to Major Change in Just 2 Weeks. Not a fellow executive. A 5-year-old. That's not an easy thing for most people to do.
It should be, though. Because so often, you can get the best feedback from the person you'd least expect to offer it.

A couple of weeks ago, a young girl named Alice Jacob wrote a letter to fashion retailer Gap asking for the store to consider more variety in the clothes it offers to girls, instead of "just pink and princesses and stuff like that."

Well, the president and CEO of Gap, Jeff Kirwan, just responded.

And his email is remarkable.

As reported by The Washington Post:

Hi Alice,

I got hold of the letters you sent in and wanted to be the one to reply to you. I'm Jeff and I'm the head of Gap.

You sound like a really cool kid with a great sense of style.

At GapKids, we try to always offer a wide range of styles and choices for girls and boys. This includes a selection of girls' tees with dinosaurs, firetrucks, sharks, footballs, and some of our superheroes. Our latest Disney Collection, Beauty and the Beast, is also all about the strength and bravery of girls, and that's something that's really important to us.

But, you are right, I think we can do a better job offering even more choices that appeal to everyone. I've talked with our designers and we're going to work on even more fun stuff that I think you'll like.

In the meantime, I'm going to send you a few of my favorite tees from our latest collection. Please check them out and let us know what you think. Our customers' comments are very important to us, and they help us create even better products with each season.

Thank you again,
Jeff

Gap Brand President & CEO

Wow. Now that's what I call customer service.

There are a few things that make Kirwan's message so great, and that leaders everywhere can learn from.

For example:

Identifying that customer complaints are a gift--because they offer valuable feedback and the opportunity to improveSending free stuff in exchange for that valuable feedback, which makes a huge impression and will probably win that customer for lifePraising and acknowledging the opposing party (which most people can't do nowadays)

All of these things are great. But there's one action here that stands head and shoulders above the rest:

He took advice from a 5-year-old.

To create a fair and just climate for your team, commit to doing the following consistently and visibly.

1. Express your sincere concern for your employees when you share decisions that affect them.
2. Show your compassion for any unfavorable circumstances that will result from a decision.
3. Check in with your staff regarding their reactions to decisions that affect them.

When difficult decisions must be made, you should show your genuine concern and emotional investment in the experience of those affected by each decision. Leaders who show concern for the impact of decisions on their employees quickly become the ones everyone wants to work with. Managers who care about the experience of their employees are the managers people will want to have on their side not only when things get tricky but also on a daily basis.

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The Top 5 Job Interview Questions You Need to Be Ready For

One of the best ways to find interviewing success is through preparation. It's as simple as that.

Having a good answer to these questions can dramatically boost your chances of landing the job.

There's a set of five questions you'll commonly hear in interviews. You may not always hear all five, but you usually will get some of these questions.

If you have a really strong answer to these questions, it can dramatically boost your chances of doing well in the interview and landing the job.

Here are the top 5:

1. Why do you want this job?

Are you motivated by the company's mission? Are you excited about their vision? Do you feel like you could help them grow exponentially?
Don't give a fluff answer here. Show depth, thoughtfulness, and passion.
Most importantly, be authentic.

Here are some possibilities you can explore:

1. You believe in the mission.
2. You believe you can make a huge impact.
3. You believe you'll be able to grow and learn in the role.
You get the idea. Understand your why.

2. What motivates you?

I ask this question to try to find out what people really care about.
Are your motivations driven by...
1. ...financial goals?
2. ...career growth?
3. ...personal development?
4. ...work environment and culture?

The list goes on and on.

3. How would you make an impact at the company?

If you've done your research on the company, its product and services, and the role you're interviewing for, you should be able to articulate how you'll make an impact on the company.
For example:
1. Sales: "Here's my 90-day plan for how I'd help grow sales by 50%."
2. Engineering: "Here's a presentation on how I'd help deploy innovative new features. I came up with a new feature that we can implement in the app that could increase user acquisition by 25%."

3. Marketing: "I've created a content-marketing strategy that could help increase inbound leads by 33%."

4. How do you handle adversity?

What often differentiates a great hire from a good hire are a positive attitude and perseverance.
Practice sharing a great story on how you overcame adversity.
Think of a challenging situation you had at work and learn to tell the story of how you rose to the occasion.

5. What are your questions?

This part is critical.

Remember, an interview is also a chance for you to interview the company. Make sure you have a list of questions prepared for them to show you're genuinely interested in the role and have done the research in advance as well.

Here are some examples:

1. "What is leadership like at the company?" This will give you a sense for the values and culture of the company, since it often proliferates from the top down.
2. "How well is the company doing?" Ask about revenue, profitability, and year-over-year growth.
The exception to this is if it's a public company. If it is, look up the financial statements in advance.
3. "What career growth opportunities do you see for this role?" This shows you're ambitious and want to grow with the company.

How do you want to take on 2017 differently?

You don't necessarily need a book, a friend, or even a professional to help you map out the new year.

Here are 15 important questions to best navigate through 2017:

1. What were the most important lessons you learned in 2016?
2. How did you grow or change from this past year?
3. What are some of your favorite memories from 2016?
4. What was the worst part of the year? Why?
5. What accomplishment was your greatest?
6. Do you have any regrets? If so, what are they?
7. Were you proud of the person you were this past year?
8. What is something you really want to happen in 2017?
9. What do you think you need to do to make that happen?
10. Is there anything you would like to stop doing in 2017?
11. Is there any person or group that you want to help in 2017?
12. How do you want to feel in 2017?
13. What is a potential theme for 2017?
14. What do you need to do differently in order to create this theme in your life?
15. What do you want more of in 2017?

9 of the Smartest Questions to Ask Your Interviewer

You won't have time to ask all of them, but it's better to have them prepared in case they give you a little extra time.

You should always have several questions prepared to ask the interviewer. This shows your level of interest in the role as well as the company itself, and emphasizes your proactive approach regarding the interview process. Write down 5 questions to ask; chances are, you won't have time to ask all of them, but it's better to have more in case they give you a little extra time. If they ask this question 5 minutes before the end of the interview, ask your top 2 questions that you marked already as the most valuable to you.

Here are some questions you could ask:

Questions about the role
• What kind of candidate, in your opinion, would thrive in this role?
• What would you see as the top priorities in the first few months in this role?
• Tell me a little bit about the corporate culture and what kind of employees you consider a good fit for this company.

Questions focused on strategy
• What is your vision for this team, how do you see its role in the company change or grow in 2 (or 5) years from now?
• Can you give me an example of how senior leadership has supported this team in the past year?
• When you came on board, what were the challenges you faced in the first 6 months in the role?

Questions about the interview and asking for feedback
• Based on our conversation, which strengths or skills I shared with you would make me a good fit for the team?
• If you had any reservations about hiring me for this role, what would those be?
• What are the next steps; when do you expect to reach a decision, for example are you looking to extend an offer in the next week or so, or do you expect the process to take a month or longer?

You're smart enough to avoid saying “Whatever” in a job interview.

"Whatever" was voted the most annoying word of 2015, according to a Marist College poll of 1,500 adults (note: 43 percent of respondents chose it as the worst). So unless you want to be voted the most annoying job applicant by an employer, delete it from your interview vocab. And while you're at it, why not remove it from your speech altogether?

Why The Hiring Manager Threw Out Your Résumé

So often it seems like when you submit a résumé to a company, either via email or an online application, it's like sending it into a black hole.

You apply, and you get a response 30 seconds later saying, "Thanks for applying," and that's that. You never hear anything again.

What's happening? You worked so hard to make a good first impression—but maybe you're doing all the wrong things.
Your résumé is getting thrown out and here's why.

You Applied for a Job You're Not Even Remotely Qualified For:

We all complain about online application processes that are tedious and annoying, but that doesn't stop people from applying for jobs they aren't qualified for.

Sure, there are some times you should apply for a job that is a stretch, but a small stretch and not something you would never be considered for.

It's not harmless either. If you apply for jobs you're not qualified for at a company; the recruiter won't consider you for jobs you are qualified for.

He'll know you don't want this job, you just want a job. Don't waste your time.

Your Résumé Is in the Wrong Format:

I'm not talking about using bullet points or not. I'm talking about instructions that say to submit as a PDF and you go ahead and send in an Ms Word document.

It's a little thing, but résumés are entered into systems and if you send it in the wrong format, that requires the recruiter to change it to the proper format, well, forget that.

Your Résumé Focuses on Style Rather Than Substance:

You've probably seen cool designer résumés on the internet, and I don't deny that some of them look super awesome.

However, résumés are functional documents. Most recruiters spend less than a minute before deciding whether to pursue you further or hit delete.

They aren't interested in trying to decipher a résumé written in a spiral or trying to put together your career progression from an infographic.

The right format for a résumé is a reverse historical explanation of your accomplishments at each job. Dates and titles and company names are important. Make it readable, but not fancy.
You Didn't Proofread

Most people will ignore a single typo, or maybe a comma splice. After all, most recruiters and hiring managers don't know how to diagram sentences any more than you do.

But, when you have terrible grammar, and misspellings, and you use "their" when you mean "there" it shows you're sloppy. No one wants to hire someone sloppy.

Have someone proofread your résumé first and run it through a grammar checker to catch the little things. It's worth the time.

You Use Fancy-Shmancy language:

Of course you want to show you're brilliant. That's the purpose of the document. You don't do this by using words normal people don't use.

You do this by talking about the great things you've accomplished. Use plain language and be clear about what you've accomplished.

You Lied:

Here's the thing: recruiters see a ton of résumés. Most of the time, they can spot an exaggeration from a mile away. An outright lie? Busted.

They won't bother to email you and tell you that they think you're lying; you'll just get silently rejected. Yes, talk about your successes and not your failures, but be honest.

If you've been unemployed, don't say you were a consultant unless you actually had some clients and did real work.

You Are Annoying:

Your friend, and maybe even your significant other, told you to be proactive and to "call the recruiter to let him know you're interested in the job."

That might have been great advice in 1983, but it's terrible advice for today. Let me give you a tip: the recruiter knows you are interested in the job because you applied.

He doesn't need you to call and tell him. He’ll contact you if he's interested. Most recruiters are super busy and are juggling numerous positions and a zillion candidates.

He doesn't have time to speak to everyone. Once you've had an interview, then you can follow up, but until then, don't annoy the recruiter, or you'll be eliminated from consideration.

You Tried to Be Creative (In a Bad Way):

Please don't send a shoe with a note saying, "I just want to get my foot in the door." In Nigeria, pictures are not appropriate. They are in many other countries, but not even in the United States.

Don't send the recruiter flowers or a pizza or even chocolate. Yes, people will remember you, but not in a good way.

You Included Inappropriate Information:

What is inappropriate information? Ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and anything else controversial.

Now that controversial thing is sometimes necessary if you held a job at a controversial organization, but that is the exception, not the rule.

Don't put your membership of ethnic group or anything of the like. Don't mention that you practice a specific religion, or that you have three adorable children.

Your résumé is about your work skills, not anything else.
If you have any of these things on your résumé get rid of them. Don't waste your time applying for jobs before you fix everything up.

Here’s What You Should Actually Be Asking At The End Of A Job Interview

Almost every interview ends with “What questions do you have for me?” By now, you know you need to ask questions. But which ones are the most beneficial for you to ask?

Asking the right questions not only makes you look good, but it can also make it easier for you to spot red flags when it comes to the job you’re interviewing for.

Try asking these three questions after every interview you have. By doing so, you always get a better feel of both the company and what it’d be like to take on the role you’re hustling for.

1.”What strengths do I need in order to be successful in this position?”

This is my favorite question to ask. It’s so telling, and it has saved me. A person will either list qualities you’ve covered and give you some reassurance that the interview is going well, or he or she will list a strength he or she thinks you might not have.

Your interviewer has a picture in his or her mind of the person he or she wants to hire. If he or she names a strength you haven’t addressed, you can follow up with, “I’m really glad to hear you say this position requires (this trait). I feel like I’ve really developed that skill by …”

2. “Is this a new position, or would I be filling someone else’s shoes?”

Your interviewer will answer this question in one of the following ways. Each answer provides you with things to consider.

If It’s A New Position:

A new position makes you the guinea pig. The company may not know exactly what it wants you to do, and it probably doesn’t have a true bearing on what a realistic workload is.

It’s worth asking who would manage you and what departments you’d work with. Being the new employee everyone dumps the tasks he or she doesn’t like on isn’t fun. I’d also recommend following up by asking what your first few weeks of work will look like. This will give you an idea of what kinds of projects the company has in mind for you, and the scope of those projects.

If You’d Be Filling The Role Of Someone Who Got Promoted Internally:

This is generally a good sign: Upward mobility not only means there are opportunities for growth, but it also means that the person you’d be replacing was happy enough to stick around.

Follow up with whether or not you’d be working with your replacement. Someone who has already had your job is more likely to manage you well.

If You’d Be Replacing Someone Who Moved On To Another Opportunity:

Tread with caution here: This can mean whoever you’re replacing was miserable enough to jump ship.

There are legitimate reasons why one would leave a job. These include career goals, more pay, commute time, etc.

But this could also be a sign of a toxic workplace or manager. Ultimately, this person left.

Does your interviewer deliver this news with positive things to say about the former co-worker? Or does he or she keep the description short?

If it feels like there may be something he or she isn’t telling you, it’s probably not a good sign.

3. “What do you like about working here?”

It’s highly unlikely your interviewer will say anything negative here. (If he or she does, I suggest you run.)

But this opens the door for you to read between the lines. Does your interviewer gush about the workplace, or does he or she stick to a specific job opportunity or the mission statement of the company?

I usually take note if my interviewer says that he or she “learned a lot.” This isn’t always a good thing. Trust your gut.

Interviewing is a two-way street. It’s so important to take advantage of the only time you truly have control over the conversation.

There are too many people who landed what they thought were their dream jobs, only to discover a few weeks in that their workplaces weren’t all they were cracked up to be.

Read your interviewers reviews with a grain of salt. Instead, ask questions in order to get to know your potential co-workers. It’ll pay off.

Figure out and fix your career-limiting weaknesses.

One of today’s most insidious trends is that people should focus on their strengths, not their weaknesses. And they should focus on the positive, not the negative. Not only is that a complete load of nonsense, it’s absolutely the worst advice for advancing your career and your business.

If your weaknesses are hindering you at your job, fix them or move to another position. The only way to grow – personally, in your career, and in business – is to figure out what issues, blind spots, or limitations are holding you back and fix them. We’re each our own worst enemy.

GROWTH STRATEGIES

If you're looking to have it all in life, adopt the Producer Mentality. You must make a major shift from being a consumer to producer.

Here are some examples: consumers eat pizza, producers make pizza; consumers watch movies, producers make movies; consumers search for jobs, producers provide jobs. Every millionaire is a producer. Only producers get rich.

The overarching goal of a producer is not to eat, but to feed people. Obviously, producers must consume at some point, but it isn't their primary goal. Instead of seeking their next meal, they're more interested in providing the next meal for someone else, knowing that they will have the chance to eat in the process.

Whether these producers are providing heart surgeries, writing best-selling books, or building skyscrapers, they've learned how to create products and services to help those around them. If you study millionaires closely, you'll find that nearly all them provide a valuable product or service to millions of people. When you adopt a producer mentality, you will become wealthy.

Here are 7 most important traits that will earn you faith and admiration from your team:

Everything we do in life revolves around relationships -- and the happiest, most successful ones are grounded in trust.

However, the results of a 2016 Edelman Global Trust Barometer survey of more than 33,000 people around the world shows that only 27 percent of leaders were seen as upholding open and transparent traits. Another study confirms that a high percentage (85 percent) of employees are not comfortable approaching their bosses about work-related grievances.
Studies like these reaffirm why emotional intelligence is so central to the development of trustworthy relationships in the workplace. Emotionally intelligent leaders have a heightened ability to accurately evaluate emotional data (social inputs), and then direct this information to positively manage social situations and relationships.

Relationships that are forged on trust are maintained through heart-centered words and actions. Here are seven trust-affirming traits that will assure your team that you are worthy of their faith in you:

1. You do what you say you're going to do.
Nothing promotes trust more than keeping your word. Always uphold your end of the bargain. If circumstances change, as they often do, communicate these changes to your team and explain the shift in plans and how you intend to deliver on your promise.

2. You have grace under fire.
No one respects a tyrant. Your colleagues are less likely to trust you if your primary mode of communication involves raising your voice, or humiliating others. When under pressure, buy yourself some time. Take a moment to step back and take a breath before saying something you may regret.

3. You come to the rescue.
Let's say someone is publicly embarrassed at work, such as in a meeting. Try to find a way to uphold any aspect of what the person is saying, and support it. If you can't reinforce any part of it at least say, "That just prompted me to consider another idea," before offering an alternative. In other words, help the person save face.

4. You avoid gossip and cynicism.
Your character becomes tarnished when you gossip. Sarcasm is another characteristic that can engender resentment and animosity. People need to be listened to, appreciated, involved and connected. Transparent and direct communication tempered with respect, is key.

5. You set realistic targets and offer your help.
Allow enough time for a job to be done well -- the first time. Remain aware of the progress of a project and don't overload your associates with an unrealistic deadline. If the task is too challenging or time-consuming, ask how you can support them. Arrange for assistance from other team members, if necessary.

6. You let go of control when warranted.
When you let go of the need to control everything -- you open up the opportunity for your associates to take on more responsibility. Employees are still held accountable and given productive feedback when necessary, but allowing them to take the reins on occasion kick starts creativity, and galvanizes them to become more resourceful.

7. You routinely express gratitude.
We all need to hear that our work is valued. Never underestimate the power of "thank you." Remember, what you appreciate, appreciates.

How to Handle Criticism and Nonconstructive Feedback

At one point or another, no doubt, you’ve flipped through the channels and seen a zebra instinctively fleeing a hungry lion. This reaction is part of a natural response to threats called the acute stress response—or more commonly, fight-flight-or-freeze—which is hard wired in the brains of humans and animals. And while taking flight from a lion is a zebra’s productive response to a threat, this response does not work so effectively in the workplace.

Unlike in the animal kingdom, the threats that induce the acute stress response at work are not life threatening. More often than not, these “threats” are merely criticisms of our work. When a boss or co-workers criticize us, we feel the same immediate stress that causes the zebra to flee. In the workplace, this automatic response is characterized by verbal defensiveness (fight), avoiding the situation (flight), or having no response at all (freeze). These responses do nothing more than leave us with a sinking feeling of regret that we could have handled ourselves better. Luckily, unlike the zebra, we have other options.
To respond gracefully to criticism, we must overcome the rash default modes of fight, flight, or freeze. Here’s how you can avoid these counter-productive responses:

1. Be prepared
To avoid being overwhelmed by criticism, it is vital to spend time now preparing yourself to receive it. Being prepared will make you far less likely to be caught off guard and to fall victim to fight-flight-or-freeze. First, visualize the experience of receiving criticism. Think of times in the past when you have been criticized: Was it in a meeting or a private conversation? Is there a particular individual you usually receive criticism from? Then create a plan of action for the types of experiences you are visualizing. Having a plan that you have already thought through will give you an alternative reaction to fight-flight-or-freeze. It may be particularly helpful to create some generic “back pocket” verbal responses that may be used in a variety of situations. This will give you something appropriate to say when you are tempted to argue, stop paying attention, or freeze up.

2. Keep things in perspective
The fight-flight-or-freeze response is a form of emotional hijacking that overwhelms your ability to gauge what an appropriate reaction is. It’s much easier to resist the urge to fight, flight, or freeze when you take a more holistic look at the situation. Rather than allowing yourself to be overcome by your strong emotions and thoughts of the implications of the criticism you received, count to twenty, take a step back, and look at things from a more productive perspective. Will blurting out a comeback serve you in the long run? What are the other options that you won’t regret? Even though it might feel good in the moment to let your emotions take control, a rash reaction will only make a bad situation worse. Looking at the big picture will prevent you from giving in to your impulses.

3. Know your physical reactions
Everyone experiences physical reactions to stress, whether becoming flushed, experiencing a racing heart, sweating, or shaking. These physical responses are designed to stimulate you to react to a threat. Although they are uncomfortable in a meeting, these reactions are important clues that something has triggered your stress response and you are vulnerable to an emotional hijacking. Getting to know your physical stress reactions will allow you to stop them and take control of your behavior before they hijack it. This awareness is essential if you want to take control of the situation before your emotions take control of you.

Unfortunately, criticism and nonconstructive feedback are realities we all must face from time to time. With these strategies at your disposal, you can face them without regret.