photo: herval

Wall Street’s bull statue stands as a symbol of unbridled capitalism. It also represents the inherent masculinity of the financial services industry.

But then came the 2008 Wall Street crisis, and with it, the collapse of the world economy. Suddenly, the manliness of Wall Street was severely dented. Images of newly unemployed bankers carrying boxes of personal belongings out of office buildings were screened around the world. The men in charge, like Hank Paulson, had lost control and had no clue what steps to take. And when Dick Fuld’s Lehman Brothers had to file for bankruptcy, leading to a worldwide loss of confidence in the market, the limits of mathematical models and the efficient market hypothesis were finally exposed.

The era of confidence was over, and attention shifted to the role of emotions and irrationality in economic behavior — essentially, the psychology behind economics.

The Psychology Behind Economic Behavior

Behavioral economics and behavioral finance are concerned with the psychology of economic and financial behavior.  These disciplines have been around for a while, but the financial crisis suddenly threw them in the limelight, and proponents like George A. Akerlof and Robert J. Shiller easily sold many copies of their book, Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why It Matters for Global Capitalism. The financial industry’s dream of a rational market was shot.

Our Financial Decisions Aren’t Rational

The study of behavioral economics aims to understand how psychological phenomena like emotions and group dynamics influence economic decisions. Studies have found that people often make decisions that are not in their best interest — or at least what economists consider their best interest.

For example, from a rational point of view, it’s best to start saving for retirement early in your career. But many don’t, and research shows that people are often terrible at long-term savings.

Investment decisions appear to be prone to all kinds of cognitive and emotional influences. Conventional economists always argued that irrational behavior couldn’t happen in financial markets. Irrational people may distort the perfect equilibrium of market prices, but savvier people would bring prices back to rational levels. But this equilibrium was hard to sustain after 2008. Behavioral economists, who often claim to have a more worldly and empirical approach than economists, who are occupied with models, refuted the belief that bankers behave rationally, carefully balance their decisions and only focus on maximizing their individual self-interests. Homo economicus clearly fell off his pedestal.

Groupthink, for example, has received part of the blame for the financial crisis. Collective beliefs and delusions, it is argued, arise and persist within groups like teams, firms, bureaucracies – and also in markets. Self-censorship, belief in inherent morality, collective rationalization, and stereotyped views of people outside the group are important symptoms.

Deluded By Success

Moreover, bankers and investors tend to be influenced by success stories. And if they belief in such stories, they become resistant to any evidence to the contrary. Besides, envy-inducing tales of young millionaires (and even the fictional Gordon Gekko in Wall Street) were a driving force for many to seek employment in the financial sector.

Business practices leading up to the financial crisis prove the disastrous consequence of ignoring evidence to the contrary of those practices. Hardly any banker could imagine falling housing prices, and they kept on selling all kinds of products backed by mortgages. Only a few hedge fund managers thought outside the box and saw the irrationality of the belief in ever-rising housing prices, as vividly illustrated in Michael Lewis’ The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine.

Regulators Are Just As Irrational

Not surprisingly, the people who were supposed to supervise the bankers were also prone to groupthink and shared beliefs about the rationality of markets. In a brave move of self-reflection, a recent report from the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) watchdog indicates that the fund fell victim to groupthink, preventing them — and I would argue, other regulators as well — from correctly identifying mounting risk within the financial markets. It was beyond their imagination that emotions and other psychological characteristics (such as herd behavior) could severely alter the world economy.

Does The Problem Lie With The Male Psyche?

Clearly, bankers and regulators operating in this overconfident environment were not sufficiently aware of their irrationality. But since these traits are so masculine, would we have avoided a crisis if mostly women were at the top? I doubt it. Despite increased awareness about the influence of irrationality and emotions in economic behavior, it would, however, be too soon to rule out risky masculine decision-making in the financial sector. Bankers aren’t suddenly doing deep soul-searching; entrenched habits and cultures are difficult to change. And power games (something behavioral economics tells us little about) between bankers and regulators about too-big-to-fail and bonuses demonstrate that, though Dick Fuld may have left the center stage, masculinity still thrives in the financial sector — be it rational or not.

Behavioral Economics: The End of “Manly” Banking? was provided by AskMen.com.

photo: Greg317

In your career, you will inevitably end up saying some dumb or regrettable things to your boss. We all do it to varying degrees at one time or another. The following list of such things is by no means exhaustive, but if you can avoid saying them, you will be doing yourself, your professional persona and your boss a tremendous service.

So, keep these top 10 things to never say to your boss in mind the next time you’re chatting him up by the watercooler.

No.10 “Impossible – that can’t be done.”

This is the kind of shortsighted thinking no boss wants to hear about. It suggests both indifference and a lack of effort. Unless you follow it up with a solution or an alternative, it’s neither proactive nor even helpful to say such a thing.

No.9 “This is the best they could do, huh?”

Whether said in response to new office phones, computers or the banquet hall at a family-style restaurant rented for a Christmas party, this is one of those smart-ass comments that indicates to your boss and to others that you have a deluded sense of entitlement. It also belittles the efforts someone — possibly your boss or even his boss — has made.

No.8 “That’s not my problem.”

Be that as it may, this presupposes the existence of a problem and, more than likely, a frustrated boss or coworker in need of some assistance. At the very least, your boss is looking for someone to take responsibility of the solution to this problem — even if it wasn’t yours to begin with. That means he already knows it’s not your problem, so you can spare him the reminder.

No.7 “That isn’t in my job description.”

In one of the many great courtroom scenes in A Few Good Men, Tom Cruise asks a witness to point out where in the U.S. Marines manual the mess hall is indicated. Naturally it isn’t in there. The point is, a lot of things aren’t detailed in your job description, including e-mailing your friends from work or surfing the web, but you probably do those things anyways, right? So when the boss asks you to do something a little out of the ordinary, don’t take offense, and never say to your boss that it’s not in your job description to do it.

No.6 “Does it really matter if I get this finished?”

A strictly educational environment might promote the idea that there is no such thing as a dumb question, but this isn’t true at the office. To know the difference a good question to ask yourself is: “Will this question waste someone’s time?” No boss wants you to spend an hour doing a project incorrectly, but asking about the relevance of a project is time-wasting and insulting to both of you.

No.5 “That’s a no-brainer.”

As a tired cliché, this statement is offensive enough; however, delivered with just the right patronizing tone, it becomes an insult. Your boss doesn’t hear “no-brainer” as much as he hears, “The answer is obvious — how dumb are you?”

No.4 “We should totally hook up on Facebook.”

No, you shouldn’t. Ever. Your boss knows this and he might be a little disappointed that you don’t. Extending a request like this puts him in an uncomfortable position. He may be too nice to say no, or foolish enough to say yes. Either way, social interactions with your boss should, almost without question, be discouraged. We don’t mean you can’t mingle with him at office parties, but try not to plan weekend getaways with him and his family anytime soon.

No.3 “I got so trashed last night…”

You might just be jawing over the prior evening, but to your boss this could be a hint that you plan to be especially unproductive that day. It might also inform him that you have difficulty keeping your work and private lives separate and that you don’t have much discretion at all. This, in turn, can be a signal that you shouldn’t be trusted with additional responsibilities.

No.2 “I don’t get paid enough for this.”

Ninety-nine percent of the time you’ll be wrong when you say this. Furthermore, such a statement packs so many ready-made responses. Most potent among them might be, “Then quit, and fulfill your great untapped potential elsewhere.” All told, this kind of statement serves no other purpose but to b*tch and complain — which you do not want to do in front of, to or around your boss. Save it for people who might actually think you’re right, like your mother.

No.1 “Sigh”

The passive aggression and frustrating ambiguity of a sigh are what land it at the No. 1 spot. It can be delivered in response to the full range of requests from your boss, and it seems sufficiently open to interpretation to allow you to deny even having sighed at all.  

But this is as true to you as it is absurd to your boss. We all know very well what a sigh means: It’s the official theme song of being annoyed and the national anthem of imposition.

Top 10: Things to Never Say to Your Boss provided by AskMen.com.

photo: Aidan Jones

Every sports movie has it — the montage before the big game. With preparations finished, the athlete follows a set of steps — some practical, some superstitious — to prepare himself to step onto the field. This isn’t just the case for athletes: Most performers, from musicians to public speakers, have a routine they follow before they take the stage.

There’s intense value in following these routines physically and psychologically, and you can reap those benefits in your own career. Rituals can make a difference in many parts of your work, but of all the situations in which you need to be at your best, they are never as crucial as before the job interview.

Developing a pre-interview ritual can put some of your worries on autopilot and ensure you arrive at the interview loose and ready. We’re assuming here you’ve already done the routine preparation, such as rehearsing your answers to questions you expect to be asked and learning about the company where you’re applying. With that out of the way, the pre-interview ritual is designed to leave you looking good and feeling confident. Read on for the time line to pre-interview excellence.

The day before: Transportation dry run

The day before your interview, you should do a dry run of your trip to the interview site. Take the same transportation you’ll be using on the day of and track how long the trip takes. If possible, try to travel at the same time of day, so you can assess the traffic situation. Take your total time, add a small buffer so you’re covered in case of unforeseen traffic delay, and work backward to determine when you need to leave. That way, you’ll arrive on time and unhurried for the big event. If you’re driving, gas up on the way home so you have a full tank in the morning.

The night before: Final rehearsal

Take time the evening before your interview to practice in front of a mirror. Go over your talking points, and practice answers to questions you think you’ll be asked. Pay attention to your voice and body language, and make sure you’re using eye contact. Make this your last rehearsal — cramming the morning of isn’t recommended, so take this time to iron out any wrinkles in your “presentation.”

The night before: Lay out your clothes

Decide what to wear before the day of the interview. The night before, think about the company you are applying to, and their dress code. If you have been to their office before, think of what others were wearing. You’ll dress very differently if you’re applying to work on a charter fishing boat than you will if you’re applying for an IT firm, so think it through and dress to show you will fit into the company’s culture. After deciding, check your outfit for stains, wrinkles and missing buttons, then set it out. One less thing to worry about the on game day.

(iStockphoto)

You might think that in order to make the big bucks, you have to get involved in the glamor professions, such as acting or professional athletics. However, you might be surprised to learn that none of those professions made the top 10 or even the top 25 list of highest-paying jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

It should be noted that, according to the Department of Labor, eight of the top 10 highest-paying professions were in the medical field. To avoid monotony, we included the medical professions in a single entry. Here are the top 10 highest-paying jobs in the U.S.

No.10 – Air traffic controller

Median salary: $109,220
Training time: 9 years

Employed almost exclusively by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), air traffic controllers are responsible for the safe operation of private and commercial aircraft. Responsibilities include coordinating movement of air traffic to keep planes at safe distances from one another and minimize traffic delays. Typically, a team works together to communicate with pilots and warn about weather patterns, and to help planes position for takeoff, landing and taxiing to the gate.

To become an air traffic controller, you must enroll in an FAA-approved program and pass an aptitude test. Exceptions may be made for those with military or aviation experience. A four-year degree and three years of work experience are typically required, and you must apply to take the exam. If you are selected and you pass, you’ll have to attend a 12-week training session before working as a development controller for two to four years. Only after that will you be ready to be hired as an air traffic controller.

No.9 – Marketing manager

Median salary: $110,000
Training time: 4 to 6 years

Marketing managers, like CEOs, span all sorts of industries and levels of responsibility. A small accounting firm may have a marketing manager to help coordinate Yellow Pages advertisements and Chamber of Commerce appearances, while that marketing manager’s Fortune 500 peer is responsible for the execution of a multimillion-dollar marketing budget that encompasses a plethora of marketing media. Marketing managers can be expected to handle items such as public relations, brand development, media buying, collateral and promotions development and even financial metrics and analytics.

The scope of a marketing manager’s responsibilities is a function of the organization’s size and intended clientele. The marketing manager of a Fortune 500 company serving a consumer audience may have a far larger scope of duties than the marketing manager at a small business-to-business consulting firm. Communication skills, marketing prowess and basic management skills all come into play. In most cases, marketing managers have a four-year degree, and an MBA will definitely help in higher-level executive marketing positions.

No.8 – Lawyers and judges

Median salary: $113,000
Training time: 7 years

The legal system is tied into nearly every aspect of our society — and there is no shortage of attorney classifications that you can aspire to. We are all familiar with personal injury and criminal attorneys, but the variety of lawyers reaches far beyond that. Environmental law, entertainment law, family law, real estate law, intellectual property and civil law are a handful of the fields that need lawyers. Some attorneys choose to specialize in a particular industry, such as construction, waste management, securities or insurance, while others will review agreements, represent the court or mediate. Later on in their careers, some lawyers will sit as judges.

The industry is highly regulated and adheres to a stringent code of ethics. Lawyers must pass the bar examination offered by the state in which they wish to practice. And in most cases, to be eligible to sit for the bar, you must have a four-year degree and have graduated from an ABA-accredited law school, which takes about three years.

No.7 – Computer and information systems manager

Median salary: $113,700
Training time: 4 to 8 years

Computer and information systems managers are responsible for the overall strategy and direction of the company’s information technology (IT) and systems plan. Many start out as programmers or data analysts, but as they acquire experience and conceptual knowledge, they can become capable of overseeing the information systems management of entire enterprises. In today’s technological environment, most companies regard this as a highly valued position and pay accordingly. Elements of the job include overseeing a company’s IT security, information management, information technology deployment, software and application selection, revenue assurance, and compliance.

When the field was relatively new, there were stories of gifted programmers who rose to top positions without any formal training or education. Today, however, with the wide acceptance of information technology, more of an emphasis is placed on new candidates having a four-year degree in computer science, computer engineering or mathematics, and even advanced degrees.

No.6 – Natural sciences manager

Median salary: $114,600
Training time: 6 years

Natural science managers oversee the work of other scientists, such as agricultural scientists, chemists, biologists and geologists. They are commonly employed in the research and development field and work in pharmaceutical and environmental consulting or municipal organizations. Natural science managers often own their own consulting or testing firms and can serve as expert witnesses in court hearings.

A bachelor’s degree is absolutely required, and to work your way up the ladder, an MBA or doctorate is strongly advised. Fortunately, many employers will pay educational costs. The best and highest-paid natural science managers have an aptitude for key business functions, such as marketing, sales and finance. These skills are valuable because it often takes a combination of business acumen and specialized knowledge to present and communicate ideas and concepts in a sophisticated sales environment.

No.5 – Engineering manager

Median salary: $117,000
Training time: 6 to 7 years

Engineering managers are responsible for plans, coordination, research, design and production activities. Frequently, engineering managers oversee natural science managers and information systems managers — two professions that also made this list. Typically, engineering managers determine specific technical or scientific goals, provide broad outlines, plan the execution of projects and, in some cases, are responsible for their financial viability. For example, engineering managers may be actively involved in the development of a real estate community, or they may work in the manufacturing space to solve technical problems. However, managers who deal with semiconductors and electronic component manufacturing are among the highest-paid.

Most engineering managers have bachelor’s degrees, and many will pursue post-graduate degrees, such as an MBA, a Master of Science or a doctorate.

No.4 – Dentist

Median salary: $145,320
Training time: 8 years

There are quite a few specialties — orthodontics, oral surgery and pediatrics to name a few — within the dental field, although many graduates of dental school opt to become general practitioners. Dentists in private practice will commonly oversee business operations, including administration and bookkeeping. All states require dentists to be licensed, so candidates must graduate from one of the 56 dental schools accredited by the ADA. Graduates must also pass both written and practical exams.

While most dental schools require only two years of college-level education, most candidates obtain their bachelor’s degree. Dental school for general practitioners takes three to four years, and if you wish to specialize, you can plan on an additional two to five years of training.

No.3 – Psychiatrist

Median salary: $179,195
Training time: 10 to 14 years

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who study and treat mental disorders, frequently attaining a specialization with a specific demographic or mental illness. As they are trained physicians, psychiatrists must complete a bachelor’s degree and subsequently attend medical school. After this, they train as a resident for up to an additional four years. Finally, they must pass both written and oral examinations to be certified.

As a result of all of this training, aspiring psychiatrists are often saddled with debt. Fortunately, there is a range of employment available. Psychiatrists work within a wide variety of organizations and their clientele includes office workers, law enforcement, the military, statisticians, geneticists and even superstar athletes — just to name a few.

No.2 – CEO

Median  salary: $217,770
Training time: Varies

A CEO is the highest-ranking (and often the highest-paid) official within a company, and is responsible for the company’s strategic direction and day-to-day operational performance. The CEO usually answers to the board of directors, which is elected by the shareholders. In smaller companies, however, the CEO is not only the Chairman of the Board, but he can also be the entire board of directors.

There are many paths to becoming a CEO. In large Fortune 500 companies, you are just as likely to see an employee with more than 30 years experience in the company become the head honcho as you are to see the company hire a seasoned executive manager. You could also start your own company and simply name yourself CEO, then build your business until you are actually overseeing many levels of management and development.

In the corporate world, a bachelor’s degree is almost ubiquitous and an MBA is encouraged, though it’s not necessary — we all know that Bill Gates is an inspirational dropout.

No.1 – Medical professional

Median average salary: $251,520
Training time: 10 to 15 years

While many medical professionals rank high on the pay scale, those who work in the OR are the highest-paid — specifically, surgeons who specialize in the treatment of illness or injury and anesthesiologists, who administer anesthetics during operations. As such, most surgeons opt to specialize in a specific area, like the heart or the brain.

Even for general practitioners, pediatricians and podiatrists, who tend to earn the less than other physicians, the very specific knowledge they require in order to effectively perform their jobs can only be obtained through additional formal training and many years of hands-on experience. Of course, a four-year degree is required to even begin along this path, preferably in biology or other sciences because these fields provide basic knowledge that will be applied in medical school. After college, med school will demand another four years  — the first two years will be in classrooms, and the last two will involve working with patients under the direction of physician educators. A residency is the next step, and this can last from three to seven years, depending on the candidate’s desire to specialize. A candidate must also pass a licensing examination.

While the profession can be lucrative, it is certainly not easy or cheap: More than 80% of medical school graduates carry a debt.

Top 10: Highest-Paying Jobs In The U.S. provided by AskMen.com.

photo: BullionVault

Gold prices are at all-time highs, and historical experience tells us that investing in gold has been an excellent way to hedge against severe market downturns or economic crises.

After the stock market crash of 1929, the price of gold rose from $21 per ounce to over $25 per ounce over the next few years — far outperforming the stock market. Gold also fared well — reaching over $850 per ounce — during the period of stagflation and economic turmoil in the U.S. during the 1970s.

Even as the stock market plummeted during the past recession, the price of gold continued to flirt with record high.

Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions posed by beginner gold investors about building your pot of gold.

Where is the gold I’m investing in?

One of the ways to invest in gold is to own the physical asset, but gold bars are not for sale at the local grocery store.

And even though you likely already own some gold in the form of jewelry or other items, buying jewelry is not a practical way to expand your gold portfolio. With the markups and labor costs built into jewelry production and sales, you are more likely to lose money than gain.

One way to purchase investment-grade gold fairly easily is go to the U.S. Mint. It issues American Gold Eagle coins, official gold bullion that are literally worth their weight in gold. These coins can be purchased from most banks or authorized retailers. A full listing of authorized brokers and distributors is available at the U.S. Mint web site. Gold bars are also available for sale, typically through banks and authorized brokers, and can be held by you directly or on your behalf in a vault.

What do I need to do first before investing in gold?

Before stocking your safe-deposit box with gold coins, make sure you get familiar with current events, both domestically and internationally. Global events and economic data drive the price of gold on a day-to-day basis. When the economy looks like it’s heading south, the price of gold will typically perform well. If we are on the road to economic prosperity, the price of gold will typically weaken.

If you want to build your pot of gold, you should check up on the stream of economic news as it relates to unemployment figures, economic growth and currency valuations. You probably do not want to drive yourself crazy doing this daily, but you need to have a strong grasp of geopolitical events shaping our global economy. If you come to a solid understanding about where we‘re heading, you will be able to make an informed decision about investing in gold.

How can I invest in gold?

As discussed earlier, you can own the actual gold, through gold coins or gold bullion bars. However, this is not the only way to build your pot of gold. There is an array of mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and individual stocks that are linked to the price of gold or serve the gold industry in some form.

For instance, the most popular gold exchange-traded fund represents ownership of actual gold and, therefore, the price is tied almost directly to the price of gold. Mining companies and businesses that service the gold industry trade on the New York Stock Exchange, among other exchanges, can be purchased through a stock broker. Gold-focused mutual funds and common stocks are also viable ways to invest in the gold market without actually owning any gold at all.

go for the gold

The thought of building your pot of gold may be exciting, and it seems to be the trendy thing to do, but it’s a whole different ball game than investing in straightforward equity or bond funds. Gold is a commodity and is subject to very volatile price swings during the short term, as we saw with the price of oil last summer.

The price of gold surges during tough times, but once things get better, the price of gold can bottom out. Many conservative investors like to own some gold as part of their portfolio due to its history of performing well as a hedge against inflation and economic turmoil. As with any investment, you should understand the dynamics that drive the price of gold and proceed with caution to avoid any scams.

Investing 101: Build Your Pot Of Gold was provided by AskMen.com.

photo: Aidan Jones

While you’re watching ESPN’s SportsCenter tonight, take a close look at who’s getting all the attention in the top 10 highlight reel. It’s the guy who dunked on Kobe and the guy who nailed a slap shot from the red line. Basically, the spotlight is on the person who took all the credit for the passes and blocks that led up to that shot.

When it comes time for a promotion at your office, your manager is going through a highlight reel in his head. He’s thinking about all of the great moments when his team participated and had great success. The only problem: You’re not on that highlight reel and, therefore, not getting credit for your work.

You’re the poor sap who was blocking and passing while someone else was making the shots and taking all the credit.

So, how do you put yourself on the highlight reel without looking like a ball hog? Here are six tips to get the cameras pointing at you for a change and help you get credit for your work.

Give presentations when possible

People don’t just remember great presentations and ideas; they remember the people who delivered the message. If someone else is delivering your message, even if they give you credit, they are stealing the spotlight from you.

Instead of handing the work off to someone else, take every opportunity to present your ideas to upper management yourself. People remember good ideas based on where they came from, so you need to make sure when they recall your good idea, they remember that it came from your mouth. This is a really easy tactic to help you get credit for your work.

Send status reports frequently

When it comes to increasing your visibility, the name of the game is repetition. Your manager is busy thinking about a million priorities, and you’re just one of them. In order to get a piece of his mind share, you need to occupy it more often.

Managers want to know that their staff members are getting the job done. Sending regular status reports — even when you don’t have anything incredibly compelling to say — will allow you to stay on your manager’s mind as someone who is getting the job done. It may seem futile or mundane, but in the long run, you’ll get credit for your work.

Get favorable testimonials

Nothing reminds people of how brilliant your last idea was than a third-party testimonial from a customer or colleague who brags on your behalf. Think about the last movie trailer you saw: The studios brag endlessly about what other people say about their film, which helps build its credibility.

A testimonial will not only redirect the spotlight back onto you, it will also endorse the fact that you must be a pretty smart person for making that person so happy. If you really want to add some icing on the cake, have your testimonial-writing comrade send it straight to your boss. At that point, you’re practically guaranteed a slap on the back and a bump in your salary.

Ask for similar successful projects

Your manager isn’t going to remember every last thing you’ve ever done; he’s going to go back to that highlight reel of your sweetest victories. So if you’re going to build a highlight reel, you better make sure you’re loaded up on big victories.

Focusing on projects that you know you’ll succeed in will help build your manager’s confidence in you. That confidence will help shape you into the go-to guy for bigger, more important projects with even more visibility and credit.

Load up on projects around review time

When review time comes, think of your manager like the lead character in the movie Memento: He can barely remember anything that’s happened just a few minutes prior. Your manager is so preoccupied with important things like getting their own raise that they’re too busy to remember everything you’ve ever done.

The time to really work on getting your due credit is right before review time. That’s the time to load up on every visible project you can get your hands on. Don’t worry, you can go back to playing on your PSP in your cubicle after your review, but right now you need to be completely overworked. It’s your job to paint the right picture in your manager’s mind.

Stay visibly busy

It’s not enough to just take on projects, you need to go a step further and actually look busy. When writing your review, your manager is going to grab the most vivid memories he has of your performance, which will of course be the most recent memories.

You want these memories to be filled with you coming in early, leaving late and looking stressed and busy as hell. This is the time to eat at your desk, cover your office with papers and constantly remind people how overloaded you are. Looking busy is just as important as being busy.

Get Credit For Your Work provided by AskMen.com.

photo: Lincolnian (Brian)

No master of the word, living or dead, sheds light on human behavior more eloquently than the Bard, William Shakespeare. With an unquestionable ability to pinpoint ambition, revenge, lust, desire, and need, the Bard creates figurative blueprints for how to manage the ladder rungs to success, leadership and passion in your career.

Being able to use a sharp-tongued wit or the utterly demanding presence of silence as Shakespeare does in his writing can and will place you in the position you demand and desire. It is a matter of timing and knowing when and how to pick your poison. And much like the characters in Shakespeare’s plays, success comes in varying forms and we can draw a number of business lessons from his writings.

In As You Like It, a rather melancholy Jacques lamented the following: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; And one man in his time plays many parts.” He gives advice with these words that the reader should take to heart. Playing these many parts (including that of silent yet active listener) will, at times, gain you the most traction as you make your vertical move.

With Jacques’ musings in mind, another of Shakespeare’s characters, Polonius, from Hamlet, gives his son Laertes some sound guidance as Laertes traveled off to school. This counsel establishes a baseline for young professionals and executives finding their way in the new, volatile and unpredictable corporate world.

What follows are five valuable business lessons from Shakespeare, embedded in a father’s pearls of wisdom delivered to his son in one of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpieces.

1- “Give thy thoughts no tongue”

Basic as it may be as far as business lessons go, keep in mind the idea of thinking before you speak; it looms large when you are just starting to feel your way through your career. You must pick your battles wisely and with caution. Know your audience, when you have one, and cater to their needs, not your own. Remember, early on in your tenure at least, to check your ambition at the door unless ambition is paramount in the job’s requirements or expectations.

2- “But do not dull thy palm with entertainment of each new-hatch’d, unfledged comrade.”

Stay away from misguided individuals in the workplace who thrive on negative gossip. Attempt also to steer clear of office politics and maintain constant focus on your objectives (once you actually know what those objectives will be). Do your job, but also be flexible when good opportunities present themselves. In the words of another language master, hip-hop mogul and prep-revolutionist Pharrell Williams, think “boxlessly.”

3- “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice”

Regardless of the person, be it the CEO or head custodian, practice active listening. Actually listen to the words and understand those words before you retort. Hard though it may be, try not to form your responses until you have let the speaker speak. That way you will continue to follow the speaker’s intended message. Use what you hear by disseminating what is useful and what can be tossed aside as unimportant (at least right now). Make intelligent decisions about with whom you plan to share ideas and information; moreover, be careful about the information you share.

4- “Neither a borrower nor a lender be”

Depending on your role and responsibilities, be careful of the information you give to a manager, supervisor or CEO, especially if you care about credit. It may be wise to put your head down and work without ruffling too many feathers, and when you do dole out jewels and nuggets of wisdom, do not give away the farm. It is also crucial to remember that your personal life is personal. Be protective and vigilant. Stay away from cliques and group alignments.

5- “This above all: to thine own self be true”

This particular comment by Polonius sums up the totality of his fatherly advice, as well as a major component of realizing and maintaining power for a satisfying and lengthy career. Be true to yourself and your work, and if you believe in your hard work, fight for it intelligently with deference and without arrogance. Be clear about your role, responsibilities and objectives, and stick to them until your time comes. If your time does not come in your current job or career, be patient — it will. And most importantly, contrary to Shakespeare’s true genius, do not deceive or lie. It will only hurt you later.

5 Career Lessons From Shakespeare provided by AskMen.com.

photo: ste3ve

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you probably want to go to a Halloween party (or at least try to get some free candy), and you still haven’t picked out a costume. Complain all you want, but there’s nothing lamer than showing up to a Halloween party without one. And don’t even try any of that, “I’m going as myself” crap.

Even if you’re totally wild for Halloween, sometimes coming up with a cool, original costume can be a challenge. So, we have put together a set of guidelines to help inspire some ideas and narrow down your choices. 

1- Dress up as a group

There’s nothing like rolling up to a party five dudes deep looking like you’re all part of some crazy Halloween gang. You don’t even have to all go as something specific, like a band or group of movie characters, but if you and your friends can agree on a common theme, you could all form like Voltron to make a giant robot of a costume.

That’s not to say you and all your friends should dress in the same exact costume, which is totally boring. But in a group, you’re going to have a common foundation from which you can concentrate on giving your costume some unique and interesting details. Plus, hit up people in your group for stuff for your costume. Who needs the Halloween store when you have friends?

2- Don’t be afraid to dress subdued

No one says you have to go balls-to-the-wall elaborate for Halloween. Sometimes a cool mask or some creative face paint combined with some formal wear more than gets the job done. It can be a good way to stand out when everyone else looks over-the-top crazy. Best of all, costumes like these are totally flexible and can have countless variations.

In fact, a nice suit or formal dress alone could work perfectly if you’re the type of person who’d never be caught dead in one. Defy expectations by doing something unexpected — that’s what Halloween is all about.

3- Don’t get too conceptual

Sure, everyone will be talking about each others’ costumes on Halloween, but that doesn’t mean you want to be stuck all night explaining what you’re supposed to be. An abstract costume, or one that’s merely undercooked, can lead to a truly frustrating evening. So, unless you know for a fact that you can pull it off, you might not want to go as the SATs or your favorite flavor of Doritos.

4- Be timely

It’s something hard to judge, but if you’re going to go as a real person you have to keep it current. There’s no strict set of rules for this, and no time constraints, but chances are if no one in your office or none of your friends are talking about it, then it’s not going to make a good costume. So, Steven Slater is totally out, though feel free to go as anyone whose reality show is currently airing new episodes on either MTV or the Discovery Channel, but definitely not Bravo or TLC.

If you have an idea, but aren’t quite sure how to pull it off, flip through some tabloids or run a Google image search. But again, make sure you’re looking at current pictures. You don’t want everyone to know how ill-informed you really are.

5- Plan ahead

The absolute worst place to find yourself in, short of having no costume at all, is running around last minute trying to figure out what you want to be. By then, not only have all the good ideas been taken, but even if you do come up with something, you’re going to have a hard time getting everything together.  

Halloween stores sell out of stuff quickly, so make sure you’re stocked up at least four or five days in advance. You really don’t want to be standing in the clearance aisle of the drugstore looking through a bin of ill-fitting costumes in open plastic bags.

Also, do yourself a favor and have a dress rehearsal. Make sure your costume fits, and that all the different pieces work where they’re supposed to work. For you and your costume, the two scariest words of Halloween are “wardrobe malfunction.”

6- Be tasteful

There’s a big difference between dressing as something scary on Halloween and being shocking. Not everyone is going to appreciate a Brett Favre with fake penis costume. Actually, no one will appreciate that costume. You want people to like your costume, not be terrified of you in it.

This rule applies to making fun of dead celebrities, controversial public figures and cultural stereotypes. Halloween is meant to be fun for everyone, and an easy way to ruin a party is to dress cruelly. You never know who you’ll offend, so try to be thoughtful.

7- Don’t overspend

Remember, you’re probably wearing this costume for about six hours on Halloween, so don’t go overboard on buying stuff to wear. You might think you’ll impress your friends with a costume you ordered from Japan that arrived in three separate boxes, but what are you going to do with all those extra cyborg attachments come November 1st?
In fact, your friends won’t even be impressed; they’ll think you’re a loser for dropping a ton of dough on something no one will remember in a week. And if you are remembered at all, it won’t be for having a great costume, but for all the money you put into it.  

As a rule (and this is true for almost all aspects of life), something you took the time and effort to make yourself will always go over better than something you merely spent a ton of money on. 

How To: Dress Up For Halloween provided  by AskMen.com.

(photo: AskMen.com)

What do George Clooney, Bill Gates, President Obama and Steve Slater have in common? They’re famous, of course (quitting your flight attendant job via emergency exit shute deployment will do that for you) and, for the most part, quite wealthy. They’re also all on AskMen’s “Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2010” list, released today, featuring prominent figures from all backgrounds: politics, sports, entertainment, technology. We handpicked the 10 honorees below because they are all businessmen or entrepreneurs: an “occupation” that doesn’t easily translate to celebrity. (Yes, this means that George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lebron James and Kanye West didn’t actually make our cut. Sorry.)

See the full ranking, along with where they actually placed, on AskMen.com.

1. Bill Gates

In 2009, it was reported that Bill Gates lost close to $18 billion, and still he retained his top position on the Forbes 400 as the richest man in the world. With a net worth somewhere in the $40 billion range, we take it Gates didn’t feel the credit crunch like the rest of us.

In fact, 2010 saw the Microsoft founder do anything but save. No longer involved in the day-to-day duties of his software empire, Gates has embraced his second career as a philanthropist. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is currently the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, and it’s spearheaded by Gates’ unflinching commitment to ending poverty in developing countries and improving education in the United States.

The foundation is also committed to curing many of the world’s most fatal diseases, and got a huge boost when fellow billionaire Warren Buffett contributed $31 billion in 2006. Since then, Gates and Buffett have formed The Giving Pledge, an organization dedicated to inviting the wealthiest Americans to “commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.” Gates and Buffett have even traveled to China to speak with a few dozen of the country’s richest citizens to spread the world overseas. In theory, it would be easy to hate a man with that much money, especially if he spent his days on a yacht in the Riviera banging models. Instead, Bill Gates offsets his bloated title as one of the world’s richest men by being its most generous.

2. Mark Zuckerberg

He’s 26 years old, the founder of the world’s largest social network and just passed Steve Jobs and Rupert Murdoch to become the 35th richest person on the Forbes 400 list. So why is Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, so down? It probably has something to do with the release of David Fincher’s zeitgeist-defining film, The Social Network, which is a sordid examination of the creation of Facebook. In the film — already a front-runner to snag Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards — Zuckerberg is portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg as a backstabbing, scheming narcissist, obsessed with his own legacy. He’s the smartest guy in the room, and he certainly acts like it.

But that’s Hollywood’s version of Zuckerberg, and it’s a far cry from the socially awkward boy wonder who just donated $100 million to the Newark, New Jersey Public School System, a move most likely designed as an effort to subdue the avalanche of bad publicity that has suffocated Zuckerberg since the release of the film. Ironically, we may never truly know the real Mark Zuckerberg, the man who made a fortune on the depersonalization of our personal lives. Despite his negative portrayal in the media, there’s no denying the profound effect his brainchild has had on all our lives. We would go into greater detail, but we have a friend request to accept.

3. Steve Jobs

It’s next to impossible to walk through the streets of any major metropolis, through its cafes, office buildings and classrooms, and not be flooded with a sea of iPhones, iPods, iPads, and MacBooks. There we sit, immersed in extensions of our digital selves, tapping, pinching and typing our way to a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us. This is the legacy of Steve Jobs, Apple’s visionary cofounder and CEO.

But Jobs hasn’t only revolutionized the electronics industry, he’s also changed the way we consume content. His wildly successful iTunes Store has given Hollywood an outlet to shop its product to online users without having to succumb to the claws of piracy. The iPad’s approach to content management has been hailed as the death knell for all things print.

Apple product introduction events — which feature Jobs in his classic black turtleneck and daddy dungarees — are as highly anticipated as a Hollywood blockbuster. The introduction of the iPhone 4 earlier this year inspired more fandemonium than the world’s greatest rock stars. When speculation of Jobs’ poor health arose last year, techies everywhere collectively held their breath and prayed for a miracle. Well, guess what: The bespectacled one is still around, and both he and his creations aren’t going anywhere.

4. Elon Musk

Elon Musk is only one romance with Gwyneth Paltrow and an expensive superhero costume away from becoming Tony Stark’s real-life alter ego. Mentioned by Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau as a key source of inspiration, Musk remains one of pop culture’s wealthiest and most fascinatingly diverse entrepreneurs. Having already drastically changed the way we pay for things online by cofounding PayPal, he’s now steadfast in his quest to shape which cars we drive and which planets we live on.

The founding visionary behind Tesla Motors, Elon Musk was named 2010′s Automotive Executive of the Year for his role in developing modern electric vehicles like the newly announced Mercedes A-Class, Toyota RAV4 EV crossover SUV and Tesla’s staple electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster. With over 25 countries and counting receiving the cars, Musk is already bringing automotive electricity across international borders in advance of a bigger push in 2012.

If all else fails on Earth, he’ll just send us to another planet through his space transportation business, SpaceX, which recently completed its debut space shuttle, Dragon. For his trouble, Elon Musk earned more thanks this year from the Kitty Hawk Foundation as a Living Legend in Aviation. Is there anything he can’t do? In a word… no.

5. Graydon Carter

Anyone who thinks that print is dead clearly hasn’t been keeping tabs on Graydon Carter. Hailed by Oscar-winning producer Brian Grazer as “the king of New York,” this modern-day dandy has been taking the world by storm since 1992, when he was named editor of Vanity Fair. He has since guided the glossy magazine to 11 National Magazine Awards while increasing its advertising pages by a staggering 60%. While other glossies are thinning their pages, Carter pursues stories other magazines don’t have the resources and dedication to tackle, such as the ongoing “Madoff Chronicles” of 2009, which exposed the details of Bernie Madoff’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme. And then there was “The Temptation of Tiger Woods” in May of 2010, in which the magazine spoke to and photographed four of Woods’ former mistresses, all the while piecing together the tragic downfall of a one-time legend.

Of course, Carter’s influence isn’t just limited to his revered publication. This flamboyant polymath has also produced a handful of critically acclaimed documentaries over the years, including Chicago 10, Surfwise, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, The Kid Stays in the Picture, and 9/11, for which he won an Emmy and a Peabody Award. He’s also the owner of the Waverly Inn and the Monkey Bar, a pair of tremendously chic New York City restaurants that have become a home away from home for the city’s top movers and shakers. Add it all up and it’s clear that Graydon Carter has become every bit as famous as the celebrities he profiles in his delectably cultivated magazine.

6. Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson is a modern-day Midas. This English entrepreneur has been turning everything he touches into gold since 1970, when he launched a modest mail-order record business. That humble operation soon evolved into Virgin Music, making him and his partners wealthy beyond their wildest dreams.

Branson has since branched out into television, radio, broadband, air travel, rail, health care, and finance. Today, he is worth more than $4 billion. That kind of wealth can buy a lot of happiness and Branson has used his cash over the years to fulfill a number of outrageous boyhood dreams — like driving a tank down Fifth Avenue in New York and attempting to circumnavigate the globe by balloon.

So, what is this restless media mogul going to do next? Branson recently expanded his UK banking empire with the purchase of Church House Trust and he has announced detailed plans to launch a series of luxurious four-star hotels throughout North America. His heavily hyped space tourism company, Virgin Galactic, recently completed its first solo flight and is inching closer and closer to offering commercial space flights. It’s just one more way this brash businessman plans to go where no man has gone before.

7. Dennis Crowley

Forget Greek gods. Today, it’s all about “Geek” gods, and Dennis Crowley — founder of Foursquare, one of the most exciting mobile applications to come along in some time — is the new kid on the block. In comparison with the whales of Silicon Valley — Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin, and Larry Page included — Crowley is still a minnow. For now. With over four million users worldwide and counting, Foursquare is about to blow up, and Crowley’s relative anonymity will go along with it. 

The app, which allows users to “check in” at restaurants, bars, stores, parks, and pretty much anywhere else you can think of, was initially embraced by New York’s trendsetters, but has since expanded globally. Suddenly, becoming “mayor” of a location (a title awarded to users who frequent a specific locale most often) is as coveted as getting followers on Twitter or friends on Facebook.

The soaring popularity of Foursquare (it crossed the one million-user mark faster than Twitter) has made Crowley one of the most sought-after men in Silicon Valley, an enviable position that doesn’t go without its perks. Like a good social networker should, Crowley posts every minute of the life of a mogul-in-the-making online, and if his recent exploits are any indication (lavish dinners, high-powered meetings), we may just be witnessing the birth of the Silicon Valley’s next great superstar. Make that “mayor.”

8. Mark Carney

In a global economy that is still being stained with red ink, Mark Carney’s sure hand and bold decisions are keeping Canadians in the black. A graduate of both Harvard and Nuffield College in Oxford, Carney spent over a decade at Goldman Sachs, where he was a key player in South Africa and Russia during their respective efforts to grow within international money markets and find sustainability during an economic crisis.

Mark Carney’s most significant tests have come since his appointment with the Bank of Canada as the youngest serving governor among all G8 countries. Brought into the position in 2008, he went toe-to-toe with a global recession almost immediately and made a significant impact when he spearheaded the opposition to a global bank tax that was tabled at the 2010 G20 Summit. In short, Mark Carney’s shrewd decision-making and concern for his nation’s economy are what have kept Canada from experiencing the same depths of economic downfall that have befallen other developed countries. Canada owes a large part of its brief financial crunch and strong economic recovery to him.    

9. Henry Blodget

The more the financial markets fluctuate, the more Henry Blodget has something to say. Originally a respected financial player for Merrill Lynch who predicted Amazon.com’s colossal stock increase in the late ’90s, Henry Blodget’s tech boom-era opinions were trusted by many until Eliot Spitzer — Attorney General of New York — outed him as a hypocrite. Faced with a multimillion-dollar fine, a ban from working anywhere near the securities industry and the embarrassment of having made predictions allegedly based on his employer’s best interests, it was a longshot that Henry Blodget could ever regain his fame or secure a place on the list of AskMen’s Top 49 Men anytime soon. How things change.

Henry Blodget’s cofounding of the financial news blog Business Insider in 2009 has transformed him into the financial sector’s answer to Harvey Levin and attracted upwards of 4 million unique visitors each month. Also doubling as the host of Yahoo! TechTicker on the web juggernaut Yahoo! Finance, Henry Blodget has — most importantly — been given another chance to talk economics at a time when people are especially desperate for insights into the financial turbulence that continues to swirl around them.

10. Steve Slater

Every employee at some point or another becomes fed up with their job, has dreams of lashing out at a pompous boss or an annoying coworker, but then thinks twice because in the end, nothing speaks louder than the almighty dollar. Steve Slater is not every employee. When the former JetBlue flight attendant was involved in an altercation with a passenger aboard a flight, his patience gave way to anger. Slater went on a profanity-laced tirade over the PA system, quit, took two beers for the road, and slid down the emergency exit chute onto the tarmac, becoming an instant folk hero along the way.

But Slater’s sudden celebrity slowly gave way to more pressing issues: What really happened on the plane (Slater claims he was hit in the head by a passenger’s luggage)? And were his actions criminal? JetBlue has stressed the seriousness of Slater’s slide deployment, maintaining that the force at which the slide releases is equivalent to that of a gun, and could have killed someone. Luckily for Slater, the incident won’t result in any serious criminal charges, though something tells us his desire to remain a flight attendant will go unfulfilled. Still, our kudos go out to Slater for doing what so many of us would never have the gumption to do. We hope that the unemployment line isn’t too long! 

Provided by AskMen.com. 

photo: meddygarnet

Happiness is, by nature, a subjective quality with a definition like a moving target. There is scant evidence — qualitative or quantitative — to lend convincing support to those life variables most critical in determining individual happiness, which is likely why past researchers committed to the scientific method rarely tried to tackle the subject.

This is changing. Take, for example, the World Database of Happiness in Rotterdam, self-described as a, “continuous register of scientific research on subjective appreciation of life.” Also, take the positive psychologists, a movement whose “members” perform scientific research into the nature of happiness and who published Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification, an 800-page behemoth that outlines all the characteristics, behaviors and conditions that lead to happiness.

While we’re not entirely convinced of this marriage between science and subjectivity, we can still offer up a top 10 of things that determine human happiness, as supported by this growing body of research.

No.10 – Having a short memory

Are you one to hold grudges? Do you need the jaws of life to pry forgiveness out of you? Well, don’t expect these attributes to contribute to your happiness or to your overall health for that matter. This ability to forgive and forget, to go with the flow, is frequently cited by researchers of centenarians as being a key factor in their ability to live to see their 100th birthday.

No.9 – Exacting fairness

According to a recently published study in the prestigious journal Nature, people derive more happiness from scenarios and situations that result in a perceived fairness for everyone involved, even when this fairness goes against self-interest or comes at some personal cost. In short, researchers at Rutgers found that the reward centers in the brain light up in situations in which people are treated equally.

No.8 – Having lots of friendships

Extroverts are happier than introverts and they live longer lives, in part because they can spend time in the company of friends and family or they can spend time alone, according to happiness researcher Ed Diener. Like letting go of grudges and going with the flow, being extroverted and having a wide social circle is a major factor in whether someone considers themselves happy or not, as well as an often-cited reason to explain how some people live to be 100 or older. At any rate, it’s a reason to justify spending a little time at work on social networking sites.

No.7 – Being spiritual

The results of a collaborative, multinational study that involved over 166,000 people showed a clear correlation between a person’s “strength of religious affiliation and frequency of attendance at worship services” and their self-reported levels of happiness and satisfaction with their lives. How is this correlation explained? Researchers postulate that this increased involvement in a spiritual circle means more friends, a wider support network and a higher degree of hopefulness.

No.6 – Thinking ahead

In his book Stumbling on Happiness, Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert argues that happiness is derived from the ability to accurately project what will in the future make us happy — not those things that actually do. He notes that we are the only species that truly considers the future, and this ability to think ahead and to imagine the future is “the defining aspect of our humanity.” 

According to Gilbert, studies support the idea that we enjoy thinking into the future because more often than not, it’s something of a daydream, and in daydreams we are at our most successful. Furthermore, because imagining the future and what actually happens in that future are often at odds, many people derive far more happiness from the anticipation of a future event than the actual event.

No.5 – Developing a skill

According to psychology professor Dr. Timothy A. Pychyl, the route to happiness is simple enough, “Live it, don’t buy it.” This is especially relevant in the modern world, where instant gratification can be purchased — but only to a point, before it hits a wall.

He quotes a professional base jumper, who says, “You’ve got to have the passion to do your time. If you haven’t done the time, you just can’t get there.” He goes on to argue that only by paying one’s dues through time, effort, devotion, and experience can we, “develop the rich experiences that make life meaningful.”

No.4 – Having personal control over one’s life

Where might you find unhappy people with low morale? Those places where people no longer feel in personal control of their lives, whether it’s a nursing home or a prison, because control equates to happiness. In his book Satisfaction, Emory University psychiatrist Gregory Berns makes the point by distinguishing between pleasure and satisfaction, “While you might find pleasure by happenstance, satisfaction can arise only by the conscious decision to do something. And this makes all the difference in the world, because it is only your own actions for which you may take responsibility and credit.”

No.3 – Defining success

There’s a saying that no matter how talented or successful you think you are, there’s always someone who’s got a leg up on you. People who compare themselves against those people will always come out the loser, even when the comparison is neither appropriate nor consequential. A skilled dentist with a thriving practice can’t reasonably compare his level of success to Robert De Niro and expect to feel good. If he made comparisons within his own peer group or against his own expectations, however, he’ll not only come out more favorably, but he’ll be happier too.

As Gallup psychologist Shane Lopez explained to Psychology Today writer Abby Ellin, “Self-referential people see themselves as the marker. They care about their own performance, not how they measure up compared to that guy over there…. The only competitor is the self.”

No.2 – Good genes

According to “The Science of Lasting Happiness,” an article by Marina Krakovsky published by Scientific American in 2007, “studies of twins and adoptees have shown that about 50% of each person’s happiness is determined from birth”, what’s loosely termed as a “genetic set point.” The weight of this variable on determining our happiness is supported by hedonic adaptation; according to this theory, even if we win the lottery, within a year or so of coming into this kind of material good fortune, we adapt to it and revert back to whatever level of happiness we were at before.

No.1 – Liking yourself

Liking oneself is arguably the principal characteristic of happy people. It’s been revealed in study after study after study: happy people like themselves. They think they’re pretty great people. They have high self-esteem, meaning they think highly of their own intelligence, they consider themselves to have strong ethical standards and to have far fewer prejudices than others.

Top 10: Things That Determine Happiness provided by AskMen.com.