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Business - 13 min read
TED Talk speakers make us laugh. They motivate us. They can give us a burst of inspiration at a critical moment in our careers.
That’s why we’ve put together these 10 TED Talks that can make a difference for business owners. The following are 10 scenarios in which you might need some guidance. We’ve found these talks helpful; we hope you will, too.
Pamela Meyer: How to Spot a Liar
“When you combine the science of recognising deception with the art of looking, listening, you exempt yourself from collaborating in a lie.”
Summary: Who knew that on any given day, we’re lied to from 10 to 200 times? The signals for detecting those lies can be subtle and counter-intuitive. In this talk, you’ll learn to recognise deception, and you’ll also gain inspiration for doing what it takes to act honestly in all of your business dealings.
Regina Hartley: Why the best hire might not have the perfect resume
“Take this resume. This guy’s parents give him up for adoption. He never finishes college. He job-hops quite a bit, goes on a sojourn to India for a year, and to top it off, he has dyslexia. Would you hire this guy? His name is Steve Jobs.”
Summary: Human resources executive Regina Hartley always gives the “Scrapper” a chance. She has learned that those who’ve flourished in dark spaces have the grit to persist in an ever-changing workplace.
Kelly McGonigal: How to Make Stress Your Friend
“And so we see once again that the harmful effects of stress on your health are not inevitable. How you think and how you act can transform your experience of stress. When you choose to view your stress response as helpful, you create the biology of courage. And when you choose to connect with others under stress, you can create resilience.”
Summary: Stress feels terrible, especially when you experience it regularly. But while stress has been maligned as a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal explains how we can view stress as positive and put it to work in productive ways.
Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action
“I always say that, you know, if you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money, but if they believe what you believe, they’ll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.”
Summary: You can always motivate employees by offering them more money, but this method only goes so far. If you genuinely want to inspire people, they need to be inspired by your cause, your belief, or your vision. But how do you accomplish this when your business is centred on something familiar like fixing cars or serving breakfast?
Knut Haanes: Two Reasons Companies Fail - And How to Avoid Them
“So if we take a long-term perspective, we explore. If we take a short-term perspective, we exploit. Small children, they explore all day. All day it’s about exploration. As we grow older, we explore less because we have more knowledge to exploit on. The same goes for companies. Companies become, by nature, less innovative as they become more competent.”
Summary: You sense that your business needs innovation, but how can you reinvent your business and run it at the same time? Business strategist Knut Haanaes believes that the ability to innovate after becoming successful is the hallmark of an excellent organisation. Learn how to strike a balance between perfecting what you know and exploring the unknown.
Bel Pesce: Top 5 Ways to Kill Your Dreams
“The only way to really achieve all of your dreams is to fully enjoy every step of your journey. That’s the best way.”
Summary: We all want to introduce the next big, game-changing product or write a best-selling book. Why do so few of us do it? Before you lose your nerve for your next big project, listen to Brazilian entrepreneur Bel Pesce as she breaks down five common myths that prevent entrepreneurial success.
Bill Gross: The Single Biggest Reasons Startups Succeed
“Timing accounted for 42 per cent of the difference between success and failure. Team and execution came in second, and the idea, the differentiability of the idea, the uniqueness of the idea, that actually came in third.”
Summary: If you love data, this is the TED Talk for you. Bill Gross gathered data from hundreds of companies and ranked each organisation on five key factors. One factor stood out from the others. He claims to be surprised about the results. Will you be surprised too?
Shonda Rhimes: My Year of Saying Yes to Everything
“There is some kind of shift inside me when the work gets good. A hum begins in my brain, and it grows and it grows and that hum sounds like the open road, and I could drive it forever.”
Summary: Hollywood screenwriter Shonda Rhimes talks about how to “get your hum back” when you seem to have run out of good ideas. Although business ownership may not be the first profession people think of when it comes to creativity, entrepreneurs need a neverending stream of good ideas when it comes to inspiring personnel, launching new products and services, establishing a brand and much more.
Tim Urban: Inside the Mind of a Procrastinator
“Now, the Dark Playground is a place that all of you procrastinators out there know very well. It’s where leisure activities happen at times when leisure activities are not supposed to be happening. The fun you have in the Dark Playground isn’t actually fun, because it’s completely unearned, and the air is filled with guilt, dread, anxiety, self-hatred -- all of those good procrastinator feelings.”
Summary: If you’re feeling down about your procrastination habit, listen to this talk. You’ll laugh at Urban’s hilarious stories, and you’ll also come away with a good understanding of why you wait until the last minute. In the end, you’ll think harder about why you procrastinate and perhaps even resolve to change your ways.
Richard St. John: 8 Secrets of Success
“TEDsters do have fun working. And they work hard. I figured, they’re not workaholics. They’re workafrolics.”
Summary: This short talk condenses years of interviews into three short minutes highlighting eight secrets of success. For pops of inspirational colour and motivation for your endless work, tune in to Richard St. John.
Instead of dwelling on doubts and challenges, turn them around with expert motivation and new insights. And to establish a fruitful business partnership, set up a consultation with us at Altus. We look forward to helping you succeed!
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