BC Business
Plus, deconstructing a sales pitch, Canadian workers left behind, and following up on a job interview
British Prime Minister Theresa May may be headed towards a ‘glass cliff.’
Are women leaders set up to fail? Indeed, according to the glass ceiling’ theory, first coined in 2005 by two professors at Exeter University in England. Michelle Ryan and Alexander Haslam were challenging a report suggesting that when companies appointed women to their boards, share prices often suffered. Instead, they found that women were more likely to be appointed in times of crisis—and therefore more likely to fail. Theresa May, who became the prime minister of Great Britain in July following the country’s vote to leave the European Union, may be a case in point. (New York Times)
From prey to predator. Robert Cialdini made his name on counseling everyday people about how to avoid being manipulated by advertisers, politicians, and lobbyists. Now, the Arizona State University psychology professor is advising people on how to become the manipulator. Cialdini’s new book, Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade, is directed at people who want to be more influential, in business or among colleagues and friends. While watching top salespeople land a deal, he observed how they spent their time before making a request. They emphasized the larger scope of a person’s needs, rather than focusing solely on the merits of the product or service being sold. “They recognized that the psychological frame in which an appeal is first placed can carry equal or even greater weight,” he writes. (Quartz)
Donald Trump has successfully exploited the pain of laid-off workers and their anger towards American manufacturers relocating to Mexico. Could a political candidate make the same arguments in Canada? David Green, a professor of economics at UBC, has studied the effects of globalization on Canadian workers, particularly in the manufacturing sector, in order to understand who has been left behind and why. (The Globe and Mail)
No, I’ll email you. Here’s how to write a follow-up email if you haven’t heard back after a job interview. Hint: don’t just check in. Give the hiring manager another reason why you’re the one for the job. (Fast Company)