Monday Mornings with Madison

Monthly Archives:
August 2021

10 Ways to Be a Constructive Contrarian, Part 2

Being a constructive contrarian means doing and thinking in unconventional ways and rejecting conformity as a way to feel safe and accepted. This person rejects being unreactive (or stoic) where the focus is only on oneself and not caring about the opinion of others. He rejects mental laziness. And he is not about being opposite or different, like a rebelling teenager. Being a constructive contrarians is about being unreactive in light of a question or idea and having the guts to find new ways forward… new or alternative viewpoints… without jumping to conclusions or going with conventional wisdom. There are times and ways to be a constructive contrarian where it adds value.

Here are five. Continue reading

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10 Ways to Be a Constructive Contrarian

No one likes a contrarian… someone who argues the opposing point of every argument. Society pushes us to conform. Even if we don’t always agree, we are called to get along with others and sometimes that means going along to get along. Especially in the workplace, it is important to be agreeable and foster a positive, friendly work environment. And contrarians can be a source of irritation. But being a constructive contrarian is different. A constructive contrarian can be a very good thing for business. Here are 10 situations where being constructively contrarian is a positive.

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Practical Information for Using LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the dominant social media platform for business professionals. With over 756 million users worldwide, LinkedIn has grown tenfold in the last decade and is the place for both employers and employees to recruit and job hunt, and the place for business execs in most industries to find their next deal. No company or exec can afford to ignore the incredible power and information that LinkedIn delivers for sales, business development, recruiting and job hunting. So, on a practical level, how well do you know how to use LinkedIn?

If you’re not sure, read more! Continue reading

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Finding Leadership in Lollipop Moments

Books and podcasts about leadership talk about it as if the term requires a capital L. As if Leaders wear a big letter L sewn into their clothing like Superman’s S. So much has been written about “L”eadership that it has become aggrandized and mythologized. By that standard, a “Leader” is thought to be someone with a plethora of traits, skills and talents, and practically no flaws. The label or title has been elevated to the point where no one measures up. But what if that’s all wrong? What if real leadership has a lower case “l”? What if everyone has the power and potential to be a leader every day, even if they have no title, money, power or influence? What would that look like?

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The New Pinnacle for Brands: Brand Love, Part 3

There are companies – small, mid-sized and big — that are beloved. They have learned how to connect with customers in a way that is so meaningful and heartfelt that their customers wouldn’t think about buying from the competition. That doesn’t mean the brand can relax and stop trying. It just means the brand is doing everything right. So what does “doing everything right” look like? Here are five things beloved brands do to woo, win and firmly wedge customers to them.

Here’s how brands get love. Continue reading

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