Content Synopsis
The Five Minute Failure is divided into three sections:
- Beginner Failure
- Intermediate Failure
- Advanced Failure
Section One – Beginner Failure
Personal failure
The Curriculum:
Start as you mean to go on - setting up your day for maximum failure
Always look on the dark side of life thinking positively
Being a shrinking violet how to hide in the background
Simply the best – better than all the rest avoiding humility
Effort is too much like hard work amount of endeavour = amount of success
Money, money, money, it’s not funny making work a burden
Just say yes! prioritising your tasks
In the zone how not to take risks
Fear factor
why there’s not much to worry about
Best laid plans why planning leads to success
Omniscience is a virtue the importance of learning
Laxtion man seizing opportunity
Hat-trick having meaningful goals
Low fidelity believing in yourself
Added value failure what is important to you?
Mirror, mirror on the wall putting things in perspective
Do worry, don’t be happy Happiness = success
Knowledge is sour pinpointing what worries you
Honesty is the worst policy the art of self-denial
Beg, borrow and steal, steal, steal giving office property a new home
Handling rejection how you can learn from being put down
A measure of success hitting your targets
Keeping a wobbly upper lip the importance of emotion
Relationships – failure has a partner the six keys to a successful relationship
Section Two – Intermediate Failure
Workplace and team-based failure
The Curriculum:
Cultural awareness understanding the work environment
Schoolyard politics having the courage of your convictions
Them and us working with management
Woof! Meouw! learning to say no
Hard times having long-term vision
We need a volunteer when to put your hand up
In for a penny when to put your hand down
Reading the small print under-promise and over-deliver
Tip the work-life balance work smarter not harder
Client shmi-ent establish the needs of the ones who count
The apparel oft proclaims the man looking the part
Feel the pain of branding creating your personal profile
Questions, questions, questions the only way to get an answer
Mentor? Mental, more like! Finding someone to lead you
Fist impressions last getting off on the right foot
Failure: a team game for all ages what does a high-performing team look like?
Relationships on the sea of failure successful networking
A word in their ears understanding what others think
“You expect me to talk?” Keeping confidential information under raps
It’s good to talk
humans were meant to speak face-to-face
Lies, damned lies and statistics don’t hide mistakes
Gossip is great – or so we have been told if you don’t have anything nice to say…
Telling it like it is don’t mince words
Practise makes perfect perfecting your skills
Feeding yourself backwards listening to good advice
Letting it all out telling people just what you think
Making a positive into a negative the outlook is bright
Section Three – Advanced Failure
Getting into and bringing down the organisation
The Curriculum:
It’s lonely at the top what facets do great leaders have?
Thanks for the memories
how to improve your memory
Mr Demotivator treating individuals as individuals
The wrong words at the wrong time thinking before you speak
The ethical dilemma making the right and decent decisions
Never a kind word saying your Ps & Qs
A quiet word in your ear… being downright rude
We are now a part of the tribe analysing how the company works
Judging a book by its cover who does what to whom at work?
Please lie down on the couch… too much love to give
Taking a view on an interview being prepared for the big day
Having the vision to fail thinking positively
Feel the fear overcoming the primeval fight or flight response
Mind reading is not an open book if you have something to say then say it
Throw some darts and see how many stick the joy of management buzzwords
Speed is of the offence more haste – less speed
An Epilogue of Sorts
A final thought from our sponsors the whole book in one page
Once upon a time a memory aid for you
The story of Optimistic
A final, final thought from our sponsors
APPENDIX ONE An alphabet for success
APPENDIX TWO How to play buzzword bingo
APPENDIX THREE Chevy Nova Awards