Strands of Genius :: Deflecting Tough Questions (#NegotiationTips), Future of Housing, Product Placement's Golden Age

WRITING FROM

Auckland, NZ

WORKING ON

a new Genius/Steals offering for 2020

UP NEXT: 

Nov 12-24: Auckland, NZ
Nov 24-Dec 4: Honolulu, Hawaii
Dec 5-9: Los Angeles, CA
Dec 9-12: Nashville, TN
Dec 12-19: Beersheba Springs
Dec 20-22: Atanta, GA
Dec 23-30: Nashville, TN
Dec 31-??: Greenville, SC

LOOKING AHEAD
We've got our holiday gift guide coming to your inbox oh-so-soon!

SPEAKING
We're currently booking speaking gigs for 2020! If you're at all interested in collaborating, check out full descriptions and key learnings from our talks on here:
http://bit.ly/TalkDescriptions2019

If you're pitching us to others, here's a handy press kit:
http://bit.ly/GeniusStealsPressKit2019

NEW CLIENTS
We're not accepting any more clients for 2019, but if you're looking for training, workshops, or strategic support in 2020, please get in touch: hello@geniussteals.co

THE WORD | THESE BRIEF BITS OF INBOX INSPIRATION BROUGHT TO YOU BY...

Ryf&Tom&Sonia, Soph&Jonny&Andrew, Waikauri beach, an 8-mile hike, involving many cleanings of the shoes, Matakana oysters on the back deck, bird spotting, gelatos, sculpture walks, guessing the price of modern art (it was far more expensive and far less expensive than we thought, ha), Quiplash, Guesspionage, and wandering around Auckland.

WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT | CONTINUING EDUCATION
We were enjoying some sparkling water by the brand Antipodes, only to find out that it was created by a former Saatchi-CEO who went to business school at 50 years old and then started his own brand.

It inspired us, and got us thinking, for a number of reasons. In part, because it's important to remember that we have many options to choose different paths in life.

But also because it seems that people are so rarely focused on continuing education. Perhaps it's because it's expensive: conferences aren't cheap before the travel, and companies often can't justify sending one person.

Maybe it's because there's a lack of accountability. When it comes to online courses, there's a lack of community, and sometimes it feels like with online courses, the fun has been taken out of learning.

And then there's also the fact that so much of it seems to be bullshit. Some people sell snake oil, while others cite best practices that are outdated or irrelevant.

BUT - Sometimes we learn something new and it inspires an entirely different way of thinking, a different way of operating. And it really, truly, can be life-changing. We've had those moments ourselves, and we try to facilitate a higher frequency of those moments by continuing to invest in our own education.

So, we want to know: If you had an unlimited budget for your ongoing education, what would you spend it on, and why? (Hit reply and let us know. We're curious!)

"I like to think of myself as a good and kind person but the truth is I rarely match even my own standards of goodness and kindness. I'm constantly catching myself being self-centered, and not listening, and unkind. Reading these stories of gentleness and kindness and other-centeredness is humbling for me. But it is also inspiring because, at the end of the day, it is a choice. It is a choice to move quickly or deliberately. It is a choice to speak loudly to get attention or to speak quietly so you can focus on listening to what someone else has to say. It is a choice if you wake up, like Fred Rogers did, at 5 every morning in order to pray for people and write them notes. Those are small things, but the sum total of them equals something not so small at all." - Maxwell Anderson on the death of Mister Rogers

The Golden Age of Product Placement

#WhatisTV #Innovation #Prod
The Steaming Wars have begun! Apple, Disney and other heavy hitters are looking to challenge Netlfix's ambition to be the world's TV provider. These 'peak tv' subscriptions services don't carry ads - so what can brands do to reach those audiences with the power of moving pictures? Faris has an idea, old becoming new. ::WARC::

Sky City Challenge: The Future of Housing

#HomeLife #FutureCasting #Innovation
The challenge was to create a build-system proposal for a group investigating a new material, and how it might be used -- Specifically, entrants were asked to "design a home that can be dismantled after a period of time and used again as if it were just simple prefab modular pieces (eg. LEGO® or IKEA®). A home made out of ready-made slabs which together form a simple disassemblable set." In addition, "The prefabricated pieces had to be easily transportable using traditional shipping containers which when flat-packed are assemblable anywhere on our planet by the use of a small crew with equipment." The results are pretty awe-inspiring. ::TREEHUGGER::

How to Deflect Difficult Questions in Interviews & Negotiations

#DeflectionVsDeception #Negotiation #ArtOfAskingQuestions
We've all been in the situation where someone asks you a question that you don't want to answer. You can answer honestly, but it might put you at a disadvantage. You can say you'd prefer not to answer the question, but it turns out people tend to dislike those that aren't willing to disclose information. Or, you can lie. Which doesn't engender trust either. In this HBR article, they explore a different tactic: deflection. And spoiler alert: They've found that it "enables individuals to avoid disclosing costly information in a way that leads to better outcomes than simply declining to answer the question and is less reputationally risky than deception." ::HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW::

Spotted on our Brick Bay Sculpture Walk

If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We always love getting to meet like-minded folks, so please let us know if you see if we'll be in a city near you :)

rockON,
rosie & faris & ashley, geniussteals.co
@rosieyakob / @faris / @ashley

HIT REPLY & LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER.

STILL WANT MORE?

In March of 2013, Rosie & Faris left NYC. They've been #OutOfOffice for 6 years & counting. Want more on the nomad lifestyle? Check out Technomadix.co

Want to collaborate with Rosie and Faris? They are a husband and wife team that consult, speak, write, teach, strategize, facilitate & generally play well with others. You should definitely get in touch.