Blogging for Bitcoin goes bust for some journalists

Blogging for Bitcoin goes bust for some journalistsBlogging for Bitcoin goes bust for some journalistsIts no secret that journalism is struggling, leaving platforms and publications looking for alternate visions of publishing and, apparently, payment schemes. Civil Media, the online publishing platform, had hatched a plan to cash in on its own cryptocurrency, which it called tokens, in order to pay its journalists, who write for websites like Popula, Sludge, and 16 other newsrooms.The cryptocurrency welches given to journalists as a significant part of their compensation although they had some say over how much of a part and they were told it would increase in value, reported CoinDesk. But last month, Civils token funding sale failed to reach its goal of $8 million, securing only half.Now journalists who agreed to take part of their salary in tokens have been left out in the cold, realizing that theyre worth far less than they believed and that with no hard plan for another sale a nd no plan for distribution, they may be without a way to get paid for their work. Some are claiming that Civil exaggerated the valuation of the possibilities of the cryptocurrency portion of their salaries.Former Sludge writer Jay Cassano recently left the site because 70% of his salary was tied up in cryptocurrency tokens, he said in a series of Tweets, adding that he felt that himself and the other writers had been defrauded by the company.Civils money problems go beyond cryptocurrency Neiman Lab claims to have evidence of at least one missed payroll this year. belastung month, Civil promised another token sale in weeks, not months, but theres no guaranteed financial outcome, of course.While alternative currencies are nothing new, its advisable to insist that your paycheck come in the form of normal currency not collectible coins, crypto, or Disney Dollars.

Why HR Should Never Report to Finance

Why HR Should Never Report to FinanceWhy HR Should Never Report to FinanceAs geschftlicher umganges grow and begin to add employees, the first HR-type activity needed is recruiting, of course. But, additionally, employers must pay people and people need benefits. So, often, the first person holding part of a Human Resources role is the person who pays the staff. This may be an administrative assistant or a member of the finance or accounting departments. No matter what this individuals title or job is, this person generally reports to finance and accounting. Just because this is how a small business usually grows, doesnt make it the right path for your business to travel. Its fruchtwein likely not. Issuing paychecks is dramatically different from understandingwhat goes into calculating an appropriate pay rate. Knowing how to do proper deductions so that taxes and other deductions are done correctly is completely different from knowing how to evaluate which insurance program is best f or your growing company. So, the skill set of the financial person who pays the staff is generally not up to speed for even the financial aspects of their HR job. The chances of this person knowing and understanding the other facets of the HR role in an organization are nil. Checks and Balances Between Functions Every organization needs checks and balances. When HR reports to finance, the hands of the people most likely to advocate for effective people policies and organization development- your HR staff, are tied. When HR reports to finance, your HR person is moved one step further away from where organizational decision making occurs- at the executive table. When HR reports to finance, policy decisions are primarily finance driven and are often not employee friendly. They need to consider people for your organization to succeed. The primary role of HR is to support the business by recruiting, retaining, and developing the best employees. This often costs money and the hard ret urn on investment is difficult to explain to finance. When HR says, We need to run this executive development program so that we can make aya we have a solid talent pipeline, finance is likely to say, That costs $10,000. No way. Its absolutely critical that HR speak the language of finance- HR staff members have to put things in terms the financial staff can understand. But, when the direct boss of HR is finance, there is no one else to advocate for people-related programs. Business leaders need to understand the importance of happy staff and the relationship between employee satisfaction and productivity and contribution. Of course, its also critical that a return on that investment is demonstrated. If your business does spend $10,000 on an executive training program, but your company culture is toxic, all of that money is wasted. So, while its tempting to blame finance for lack of program and recruiting funding, its also critical that HR does its job and does it well. Are good emp loyees praised and bad employees reprimanded? Are bullies allowed to run rampant throughout the company? Are pay raises done haphazardly? Are employees asked to fill out multiple forms? Are mandatory sexual harassment training meetings incredibly boring and counterproductive? If any of this is the case, finance is right to disagree with and doubt HR when they say this next program will fix the organizations problems. When, however, HR is doing its job, it needs an advocate who understands the value of spending money now to make more money later. For example, giving a valued employee a needed raise today makes them less likely to quit their job, which saves the organization higher turnover and training costs. Where Should HR Report? In an ideal world, the head of HR should report directly to the CEO. This reporting relationship makes HR part of that senior leadership team that helps guide and direct company policy. All aspects of employment should be considered as checks and bala nces. Finance serves a critical role in a company. Its their job to keep costs down and income high, but having the best people, who are treated well, and paid a competitive salary, is the way to do that. You need to strike down any barriers that stand in the way of your people so that the business can succeed. When HR reports to finance, rather thanbeing equal to them, that is an extremely difficult reporting relationship. Keep your checks and balances in place. HR should never report to finance and accounting.

These are 9 signs you might have an ambivert personality

These are 9 signs you might have an ambivert personalityThese are 9 signs you might have an ambivert personalityIm sure youve been asked many times whether youre an introvert or an extrovert. For some people, its an easy choice, but for most of us, its difficult to choose one way or the other.Its hard to choose because the introvert/extrovert dichotomy reflects a tired and outdated view of personality. Personality traits exist along a continuum, and the vast majority of us arent introverts or extroverts we problematik somewhere in the middle.Personality consists of a stable set of preferences and tendencies through which we approach the world. Personality traits form at an early age and are fixed by early adulthood. Many important things about you change over the course of your lifetime, but your personality isnt one of them.Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do bedrngnis go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it. Bruce LeeThe continuum between introversion and extroversion captures one of the most important personality traits. Its troubling that were encouraged to categorize ourselves one way or the other because there are critical strengths and weaknesses commonly associated with each type.Adam Grant at Wharton set out to study this phenomenon, and his findings are fascinating. First, he found that two-thirds of people dont strongly identify as introverts or extroverts. These people (aka, the vast majority of us) are called ambiverts, who have both introverted and extroverted tendencies. The direction ambiverts lean toward varies greatly, depending on the situation.Think of introversion and extroversion as a spectrum, with ambiversion lying somewhere in the middleAmbiverts have a distinct advantage over true introverts and extroverts. Because their personality doesnt lean too heavily in either direction, they have a much easier time adjusting their approach to people based on the situation. This enables them to c onnect mora easily, and more deeply, with a wider variety of people.Grants research also disproved the powerful and widely held notion that the best-performing salespeople are extroverts. He found that ambiverts greater social flexibility enabled them to outsell all other groups, moving 51 percent more product per hour than the average salesperson. Notice how sales increased as extroversion increased, peaking with those who were just moderately extroverted.Grant explained the finding this wayBecause they naturally engage in a flexible pattern of talking and listening, ambiverts are likely to express sufficient assertiveness and enthusiasm to persuade and close a sale, but are more inclined to listen to customers interests and less vulnerable to appearing too excited or overconfident.How Ambiversion Works in the BrainHow social you are is largely driven by dopamine, the brains feel-good hormone. We all have different levels of dopamine-fueled stimulation in the neocortex (the area of the brain that is responsible for higher mental functions such as language and conscious thought). Those who naturally have high levels of stimulation tend to be introverts they try and avoid any extra social stimulation that might make them feel anxious or overwhelmed. Those with low levels of stimulation tend to be extroverts. Under-stimulation leaves extroverts feeling bored, so they seek social stimulation to feel good.Most peoples levels of natural stimulation dont reach great extremes, though it does fluctuate. Sometimes you may feel the need to seek out stimulation, while other times, you may avoid it.Finding Out Whether Youre An AmbivertIts important to pin down where you fall in the introversion/extroversion scale. By increasing your awareness of your type, you can develop a better sense of your tendencies and play to your strengths.If you think that you might be an ambivert, but arent certain, see how many of the following statements apply to you. If most of them apply, y oure most likely an ambivert.I can perform tasks alone or in a group. I dont have much preference either way.Social settings dont make me uncomfortable, but I tire of being around people too much.Being the center of attention is fun for me, but I dont like it to last.Some people think Im quiet, while others think Im highly social.I dont always need to be moving, but too much down time leaves me feeling bored.I can get yperit in my own thoughts just as easily as I can lose myself in a conversation.Small talk doesnt make me uncomfortable, but it does get boring.When it comes to trusting other people, sometimes Im skeptical, and other times, I dive right in.If I spend too much time alone, I get bored, yet too much time around other people leaves me feeling drained.The trick to being an ambivert is knowing when to force yourself to lean toward one side of the spectrum when it isnt happening naturally. Ambiverts with low self-awareness struggle with this. For example, at a networking eve nt, a self-aware ambivert will lean toward the extroverted side of the scale, even when it has been a long day and he or she has had enough of people. Mismatching your approach to the situation can be frustrating, ineffective, and demoralizing for ambiverts.Bringing It All TogetherTalentSmart has conducted research with over a million people and found that those in the upper echelon of performance at work also tend to be highly self-aware (90 percent of them, in fact). By gaining a better sense of where you fall on the introversion/extroversion scale, you can build insight into your tendencies and preferences, which increases your self-awareness and emotional intelligence. This will help you improve your performance.Thisarticleoriginally appeared on LinkedIn.These are 9 signs you might have an ambivert personalityIm sure youve been asked many times whether youre an introvert or an extrovert. For some people, its an easy choice, but for most of us, its difficult to choose one way or the other.Its hard to choose because the introvert/extrovert dichotomy reflects a tired and outdated view of personality. Personality traits exist along a continuum, and the vast majority of us arent introverts or extroverts we fall somewhere in the middle.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and morePersonality consists of a stable set of preferences and tendencies through which we approach the world. Personality traits form at an early age and are fixed by early adulthood. Many important things about you change over the course of your lifetime, but your personality isnt one of them.Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it. Bruce LeeThe continuum between introversion and extroversion captures one of the most important personality traits. Its troubling that were encouraged to categorize ourselves one way or the other because there are critical strengths and weaknesses commonly associated with each type.Adam Grant at Wharton set out to study this phenomenon, and his findings are fascinating. First, he found that two-thirds of people dont strongly identify as introverts or extroverts. These people (aka, the vast majority of us) are called ambiverts, who have both introverted and extroverted tendencies. The direction ambiverts lean toward varies greatly, depending on the situation.Think of introversion and extroversion as a spectrum, with ambiversion lying somewhere in the middleAmbiverts have a distinct advantage over true introverts and extroverts. Because their personality doesnt lean too heavily in either direction, they have a much easier time adjusting their approach to people based on the situation. This enables them to connect more easily, and more deeply, with a wider variety of people.Grants research also disproved the powerful and widely held notion that the best-perform ing salespeople are extroverts. He found that ambiverts greater social flexibility enabled them to outsell all other groups, moving 51 percent more product per hour than the average salesperson. Notice how sales increased as extroversion increased, peaking with those who were just moderately extroverted.Grant explained the finding this wayBecause they naturally engage in a flexible pattern of talking and listening, ambiverts are likely to express sufficient assertiveness and enthusiasm to persuade and close a sale, but are more inclined to listen to customers interests and less vulnerable to appearing too excited or overconfident.How Ambiversion Works in the BrainHow social you are is largely driven by dopamine, the brains feel-good hormone. We all have different levels of dopamine-fueled stimulation in the neocortex (the area of the brain that is responsible for higher mental functions such as language and conscious thought). Those who naturally have high levels of stimulation tend to be introverts they try and avoid any extra social stimulation that might make them feel anxious or overwhelmed. Those with low levels of stimulation tend to be extroverts. Under-stimulation leaves extroverts feeling bored, so they seek social stimulation to feel good.Most peoples levels of natural stimulation dont reach great extremes, though it does fluctuate. Sometimes you may feel the need to seek out stimulation, while other times, you may avoid it.Finding Out Whether Youre An AmbivertIts important to pin down where you fall in the introversion/extroversion scale. By increasing your awareness of your type, you can develop a better sense of your tendencies and play to your strengths.If you think that you might be an ambivert, but arent certain, see how many of the following statements apply to you. If most of them apply, youre most likely an ambivert.I can perform tasks alone or in a group. I dont have much preference either way.Social settings dont make me uncomfortable, but I tire of being around people too much.Being the center of attention is fun for me, but I dont like it to last.Some people think Im quiet, while others think Im highly social.I dont always need to be moving, but too much down time leaves me feeling bored.I can get lost in my own thoughts just as easily as I can lose myself in a conversation.Small talk doesnt make me uncomfortable, but it does get boring.When it comes to trusting other people, sometimes Im skeptical, and other times, I dive right in.If I spend too much time alone, I get bored, yet too much time around other people leaves me feeling drained.The trick to being an ambivert is knowing when to force yourself to lean toward one side of the spectrum when it isnt happening naturally. Ambiverts with low self-awareness struggle with this. For example, at a networking event, a self-aware ambivert will lean toward the extroverted side of the scale, even when it has been a long day and he or she has had enough of people. Mismatc hing your approach to the situation can be frustrating, ineffective, and demoralizing for ambiverts.Bringing It All TogetherTalentSmart has conducted research with over a million people and found that those in the upper echelon of performance at work also tend to be highly self-aware (90 percent of them, in fact). By gaining a better sense of where you fall on the introversion/extroversion scale, you can build insight into your tendencies and preferences, which increases your self-awareness and emotional intelligence. This will help you improve your performance.Thisarticleoriginally appeared on LinkedIn.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will ersatzdarsteller your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people