Kurt Blazek

If you’ve been in the world long enough, you’ve heard the buzzword: Personal development. What can it get it you? How do you fit it into your routine? Does it mean you have to learn Twitter?

The short answers is: it’s not that simple, and we hope you already know Twitter. Personal development has often been thought of as the activity you undertake when you’re looking to reach the next level–you need to prepare to upgrade your relationship? You want a new job/career move and you’re just not quite there? It’s time for personal development! However, today the meaning has started to evolve into a much more Millennial-minded, individual-friendly viewpoint: personal development is for everyone, any time. Even Emma Watson is taking a year off to develop herself.

The Middle Way, The Golden Mean, Moderation in All Things….

To start with, the wisdom of being an ambivert is not new to this world. Wise thinkers have agreed on this point, including Gautama Buddha, Aristotle and Carl Jung himself, the man who first popularized the terms introvert and extrovert. As cited in Entrepeneur’s article on ambivert leadership, Carl Jung believed “there is no such thing as a pure extrovert or pure introvert. Such a man would be in an insane asylum.”

Leadership traits are very diverse and sometimes uniquely suited to the specific leader that exhibits them, but few traits inspire others to greatness. Obviously for a leader to truly lead all he has to have is followers, but what the leader does beyond that separates the average leader from the truly transformational leader.

Those traits are unique but not foreign, they are just so simple we fail to recognize them at times. Let’s look at 3 keys to inspirational leadership:

You’re a new manager, coming in to meet with your employees. What is the best way to make a good impression and earn trust with the employees quickly? Hint: It’s not by immediately running down your educational background and list of credentials. Instead, try spilling your coffee, tripping as you enter the room, or making some other small but noticeable mistake. The point is, don’t take yourself so seriously.

Sound crazy? It’s not — as long as you really do have the background and credentials to give yourself credibility. For the past 50 years, researchers have been studying how people can make themselves more likable, and one classic study found that a high-performing person who does something a little vulnerable becomes more attractive to those observing.

Happiness! A new puppy? A perfect bowling score? Your favorite pineapple upside-down cake? Those things would probably make most of us happier (although some might opt for chocolate cake instead). Work might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “happiness”.

Even at the wackiest Silicon Valley startup, it’s unlikely that employers will provide puppies, bowling or cake to increase happiness. But business owners know that employee satisfaction is extremely important. Happiness is defined as “subjective well-being” by experts at UC Berkeley. Both research and experience show that happy employees–those who feel more positive emotions and a deep sense of purpose–are more productive.