There is a circulating theme this month that may have stemmed from Google no longer hiring based on GPA (which I fully support) and one of my favorite blog posts about how being stupid is a good thing. There are many opportunities that we give and receive information: school, news, parenting, on-the-job, conferences,  etc. Which would you rather be, the smartest one or the dumbest one? Here are three arguments as to why it might be better to be the latter.

1. They Ask First
• If you don't think you are smart enough to answer something on your own, you usually ask a lot of questions. Whether for understanding, clarification, or just to know what your boss really wants, asking is the fastest way to the answer. Smart people usually figure it out on their own and that means you might get a different conclusion, it might take longer, or you have to redo work!
2. They Offer to Help
• One of the best ways to become smarter is to learn is from someone else. Watching someone that is an expert and being a copycat is a fast way to get better at a new task. Even if you aren't very smart, you still seek recognition and therefore offering to help work on projects that the experts are running gets your name out there. These people become friendly and reliable colleagues rather than introverts working solo.
3. They Are Kind
• I find that those that aren't proving to the world that they are super smart are happier and supportive people. They give words of encouragement, congratulations, and praise. For example, "Wow, that's a great idea!" because they genuinely wouldn't have thought of it themselves. Instead of trying to share your knowledge with the world and argue with those that disagree, having less smarts means you receive advice all the time, listen to it, and appreciate it.

It takes a while to readjust after an amazing 2 week trip to China with 15 of my MBA classmates. Touring to Beijing, Shenyang, and Shanghai, I learned some fascinating things about the Chinese culture, companies, and emerging market opportunities. I have not really been out of the country before, and so I had no expectations going in and I had a wonderful time. Here is a short synopsis of fun facts, traveling advice, and professional information that hopefully give you some insight into China.

1. Socialism is very visible in China. You can see the economic and social standards are very controlled and respected by each citizen. The Chinese are very nice to each other and foreigners. Taxi drivers are the safest drivers, no road rage even with 3,000 new vehicles a day in Beijing and frequent blaring of car horns and constant traffic. There are street vendors everywhere and thus lots of bartering on anything from fruit to jewelry. Everything is clean and there is little crime. You see street sweepers with homemade brooms everywhere. Street vendors track you down for a sale and to give you the correct change. Taxi drivers are patient and safe so they don’t lose their license. The subway systems are very impressive! Past government mandated exercises are still practiced by older women in the streets of Shanghai regularly.
2. The most interesting part of socialism is the public healthcare system which we learned a lot about by visiting multiple new hospitals. No matter your income, age, or illness you must stand in line all day for 2 minutes with a doctor. Thus, many Chinese gain immunities due to overdose prescriptions. Private healthcare for those that can afford it is just now entering the market and is a great opportunity for domestic and foreign investors.
3. Another interesting government control is limiting the movement between cities. Each citizen has a location card which ties them to a region and it is near impossible for paperwork to be approved to move into a big city from a rural area. In response, the government is developing Tier 3 cities into Tier 2 and Tier 2 cities into Tier 1. These tiers are based upon population and Shenyang is a smaller Tier 2 with “only” 9 million people. The amount of construction in Shenyang versus Beijing and Shanghai (both Tier 1 cities) was very evident. And apparently all construction projects must be completed within 3 years which also contributes to the fast industrial growth since the Cultural Revolution only 20 or so years ago (1979). It will be interesting to return in a decade and see how the country has dealt with the challenges of development.
4. I seek out the green spaces in the busy cities and each of the tourist attractions had tons of shady, evergreen trees. The Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, and Beiling Park were definitely the places to play chess or go on a date. I found it surprising that even the campus of Bao Steel has 60% trees. The Ring Roads in Beijing and The Bund in Shanghai each had tons of roses lined along the way. It didn’t quite balance out the smog that stuck to all of the tall buildings and your nose though.
5. The food in general is definitely not like Americanized Chinese food and honestly you had few options since every restaurant had similar items.  However, the jiaozi (also known as gyoza, pot-stickers, or dumplings) are delicious and I highly recommend ordering them anywhere. There is no difference between meals: breakfast, dessert, dinner, all any time of day. On a regular basis you could get food from street vendors who had Durian fruit, lots of melon, candy-covered strawberries on a stick, and grilled squid. You could get “Hot Pot” meals similar to fondue. And of course Peking Duck in Beijing is a do not miss treat! If you need your American fix while in China, KFC is the most common followed by Pizza Hut and McDonalds.

Me at Badaling, The Great Wall of China

General Q&A:

The formality in the workplace hinders a supportive environment that helps teams and companies achieve success. Principals treat everything like a report card, pink slip or detention, and rehearsed full school assemblies. Everything is by the book and everyone, even staff, fears being "sent to the principal's office". This method is unhealthy if applied to a work environment. If your boss thinks he is entitled to his/her respect, they are acting like a principal. Instead, coaches are much more effective. If your boss cheers for you, trains you, and wants to see you (and subsequently him/herself) succeed they are acting like a coach. Can you still achieve the results if you use a flexible coach approach to being a boss? YES!

1. Play your own game
• Just as a soccer coach can't play the game for you, your boss cannot do your work for you either. You need to put the effort in the see results. You don't learn from watching your boss play the game but a coach is there to apply his expertise to your technique. Everyone doesn't kick the ball the exact same way but it still makes it into the goal and coaches know that. Principals expect you to learn it "my way or the highway" if you want to fit in.
2. Watch for cues
• A conductor (coach) cannot make each instrument play the right notes at the right time. The best he/she can do is direct you when, where and what to play. If you miss the cue, you are at fault and it means you might need to practice on your own more than what is expected to make the grade. Principals would simply replace you because upholding the reputation is more important than giving you a second chance.
3. Be a player on the team
• Coaches know that a game cannot be won with one good player, it is a collective. Coaches will pair you with others that have different strengths and weaknesses than you. You might not be the star that makes the winning score but your efforts assisted and a coach knows that. Principals only care about results and do not see the people behind it whether one or many.

How can you start making a dent in your "to do" list when you only have 10 minutes? Today, I was motivated by this post by Project Eve and my friend Miranda's recommendation of the book Switch. When you feel overwhelmed with too much to do, you don't know where to begin! I think daily my boyfriend says he is "too busy" to help clean the house. The point of today's post is that a little goes a long way. Here are some ideas:

1. Just start it
• If you remember my post on resolutions, starting a good habit is harder than stopping a bad habit. So if you can hold yourself accountable to take the first step and not worry about the second, you'll be surprised how much you'll get done. My workout trainer says "you can do anything for 30 seconds" and I think the same is true for when it is "only 10 minutes".
2. Add it up
• The funny thing about 10 minutes is that you only get 3 of them in a half hour. Any amount of time can be broken up into smaller, doable chunks. Then at the end of the day, or hour, you can add it up and be surprised with what you accomplished. Why do you ever procrastinate when you can be this successful in 10 minutes? It's just like penny fundraiser drives that end up building a brand new school playground (true story!) - every little bit matters.
3. Finish the unfinished
• Some people have trouble finishing what they started and applying yourself for only 10 minutes can solve this problem too! Having something to show for efforts is a ego boost and you deserve that virtual pat-on-the-back, don't you? Pick the low hanging fruit at the bottom of your priority list and spend 10 minutes closing it out.

Do you occasionally suffer from road rage? Are you a Colorado driver that doesn't know how to merge using the full 1/2-mile merge lane? Do you speed every day or do you stop for a full and legal 3-seconds at stop signs? Drivers rarely fully adhere to the traffic laws that stop signs try to enforce. But why? Here are some thoughts on how poorly traffic signs grab our attention and some marketing tactics you can use to avoid these mistakes.

1. Look for one, find two
• What do stop signs and Coca-cola have in common? They both have white writing on a red background and whether they successfully grab your attention depends little with marketing abilities and more to do with the environment. Is there a cop watching the intersection? What did the car in front of me do? Is it convenient to stop by the vending machine or the drive-thru on your way out? Whether you order a Coke over Pepsi depends more upon what the restaurant has to offer and whether your friends are drinking soda or water or beer. Tactic: Choose and control your placement around your competition. 
2. Associated impressions
• No one likes capital letters. STOP is like using all caps in an internet argument to tell other how IMPORTANT this sentence is! Symbols are more effective: European signs, the Apple computer symbol, etc. Do you recognize an octagon shape immediately and image it colored red? Tactic: Use colors and symbols for quick recognition.
3. Surprising alternatives
• Paper or plastic? Twitter or Facebook? Sometimes having an option makes users do a double take. If you are given options or meet abnormal substitutions, it makes you stop and think. Instead of stop signs, traffic controls use roundabout or yield signs because they can be more effective in reducing accidents in certain locations. Can you offer alternatives that keep your audience on their toes causing them to willing consider your product? Tactic: Be your own challenger and have options.

Last week I published a review of Made to Stick. I think this book is read not only by marketing professionals but really anyone that wants to add a little creative spice to their work. What I've found though when talking to people is that not many people (except explicit artists), consider themselves to be "creative". Well, throw all that thinking away because I am here to say YOU ARE.

"If you're a great spotter, you'll always trump a great creator. Why? Because the world will always produce more great ideas than any single individual, even the most creative one." -Made to Stick

1. Borrow it
• Honestly, borrowing someone else's genius idea is genius too. You recognize it is something awesome that can be repeated. Remember being kids in paint class yelling "No copying!" Well copying is a form of flattery... and really, did your fish's blue stripes ever look the same as the original? It is creative to borrow great ideas because you make them great again!
2. Recycle it
• You can easily recycle a old idea and reuse it in a new situation. There are tons of ideas of Pinterest that come up with unique ways to use old jeans, binder clips, and wine bottle corks. Just clear out a closet, find something you bought and never used, and actually use it! That is being creative because you are using it for a purpose you didn't originally intend it for!
3. Combine it
• Creative doesn't mean you have to come up with a brand new idea that no one has ever thought of before. Creativity is also combining any number of "regular" ideas and making them into something new. Facebook is a hit because it combines technology and the little black book. Even a poster slogan or website design can be a combination of ordinary already used ideas that turn into another singular creative masterpiece.