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🗣️ "I train like I've never won, and I compete like I've never lost." -Eileen Gu

🗣️ "You will rarely outperform your self-image." -James Clear

🗣️ "The most influential person who will talk to you all day is you. So, you should be very careful what you say to you." -Zig Ziglar

🗣️ "I know how to spot real confidence. Look for people who are fluid with status—who allow themselves to be the butt of a joke, or accept criticism, but also avoid false modesty, and inhabit the spotlight when it falls on them. One might call this a balance between dignity and humility." -Sasha Chapin

​Laid Off? Try These 5 Tips to Get Back on Your Feet​ After getting laid off a few years ago, I learned it’s possible to bounce back  (and do it quickly). Here are five practical tips. ​Read more​

​The Best Quotes About Journaling and Self-Reflection​ Looking for some journaling inspo? Check out these witty insights. ​Read more​

​The Castle by Jon Ronson​ ​Nonfiction: Weird Stories, True Crime This book is classic Ronson: quirky, page-turning, and shocking. It all started when Ronson's son and his friends got invited to a castle in the woods, where the creepy owner was filming a reality show called "101 Princesses." Then things got weirder.

​Sliver by Ira Levin​ ​Fiction: Thriller, Horror A few years ago, I stumbled across Ira Levin's work, and he quickly became one of my faves. Levin passed away in 2007, but his books like Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives live on in pop culture. This little-known book is about a woman who moves into a New York high-rise and learns horrifying things about the owner.

🗣️ "Pay attention to what your boss pays attention to. Then proactively provide that information."

In my work training hundreds of leaders over the past decade, many have wondered the same thing: How can I manage my manager? And how can I challenge them when I disagree with one of their ideas?

This process is often called “managing up”: creating a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with your boss while respectfully challenging them.

Many leaders fear pushing back on their boss because executives and senior managers can occasionally be intimidating or opinionated.

But managing up is an important career skill to build because it can help you grow in your career, increase your job satisfaction, and minimize your work frustrations.

I use the 4-step acronym “BOSS” to help leaders remember four elements of managing up:

1. Build the relationship
2. Observe their preferences
3. Support each other
4. Speak up

​Dive deeper here​

My wife and I got back from our Europe trip last week. We ended the trip in Prague, which was arguably our favorite city we visited.

One of my favorite things to do while traveling is to get lost in a city and just walk, because I almost always stumble on something unexpected.

Our first night in Prague, we turned a corner and found ourselves next to the Vltava River. The river itself is beautiful, but what shocked me most was the incredible sunset. You'll find it below.

Keep learning,

Visit me at BobbyPowers.com for more articles and book reviews about leadership, communication, and personal development.

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