Knowledge @ Work Blog

by:  Dorie Clark

Cold-calling doesn’t have to be about sleazy sales tactics or the quick hit; instead, it can simply be a way to connect with someone you might never otherwise have access to — even, it turns out, billionaires.

After stints running a graphic design firm and working for NASA, Elizabeth Amini found herself unsure about her professional direction. She was interested in several different fields, but lacked contacts she could tap for informational interviews. ...

by Judith E. Glaser

You walk into a meeting late and people are already in huddles. Colleagues glance over ever so briefly then turn back to their conversations. You sit down in a corner and use your smartphone to check email. Once the group discussion starts, you want to offer an opinion but can’t seem to get a word in. Eventually, you give up, take a few notes, check more email and wait for the meeting to end. You stay at ...

by Mark Goulston and John Ullmen

The most influential people strive for genuine buy in and commitment — they don’t rely on compliance techniques that only secure short-term persuasion. That was our conclusion after interviewing over 100 highly respected influences across many different industries and organizations.   How can you implement this?  Imagine that you’re at one end of a shopping mall — say, the northeast corner, by a cafe. Next, imagine that a friend ...

by John Kotter

Imagine this: Seeking buy-in for your new product or process proposal at work, you pick on one raised hand around the conference table for a question. The person — whom you know has deep, specialized knowledge in his area — asks a detailed question. You have done your homework, and so you answer it using the specifics of the example he has used. Then he asks a follow-up. And another. And another. Each time, he nitpicks a specific ...