STREET SMART

Articles by Dr Tony Alessandra

As long as you keep your wits about you, you too can be Street Smart -- on and off the streets http !!www"alessandra"com!timelytips#!$%"asp
Welcome to this issue of "Dr. T's Timely Tips" by Dr. Tony Alessandra. Please send your feedback to info@alessandra.com! A thief looks at two houses on a street both are lar!e and well kept" so he is assumin! there are !reat steals in both houses. #oth are dark and empty all the nei!hbors are at a block party down at the end of the street. #oth houses are e$actly the same e$cept that the house on the ri!ht has an alarm system" and the house on the left does not. Which house do you think this thief is !oin! to !o for% &ame thin! for mu!!ers. Do you think a mu!!er is !oin! to !o after someone walkin! confidently" payin! attention to her surroundin!s" aware of where she is !oin!% 'aybe" but he'd more likely !o for the person shufflin! alon!( wearin! heels so hi!h they're hard to walk in" let alone run in( distracted on a cell phone( scannin! a map worriedly. )all it awareness( call it sur*i*al skills( call it &treet &marts. Whate*er you call it ha*e it!

&treet &marts is not +ust for keepin! you safe it is an essential business tool. &treet &marts borne skepticism will allow you to ne!otiate will ease and skill. ,or e$ample" once - was in ne!otiations for a pro+ect with a publishin! company about my royalties. ,rom con*ersations with collea!ues" knew that ./ was an accepted tar!et" so that is what - went in e$pectin!. - could tell ri!ht away that these !uys were people - could +oke around with" so my first offer was 01/ which made the publishin! !uys look at each other" speechless" before they started lau!hin!. &o" they countered me at 21/! - !uess they thou!ht - was serious. &o" - paused" mo*ed my head back" and s3uinted" really considerin! their offer. "4mmmm" is that fair%" - asked. After much deliberation and some hesitation" which made them feel better that they were playin! hardball" - accepted their offer. - walked out of that office ecstatic. - !ot 21/ royalties +ust because - was able to use my &treet &marts to analy5e the situation and interpret the best way to approach it. "-n any pursuit in life there is a formal knowled!e base and an informal knowled!e base. The formal knowledge is what you are told. -t is what you !et in the manual when you start a +ob. -t is what you !et in the course work in colle!e. &nformal knowledge is e*erythin! they do not bother to tell you. 'oreo*er" usually that is the stuff that makes the most difference. -t is the stuff they cannot say and would not say if they could. That is why we call it tacit knowled!e. -t is what you learn from your en*ironment. 6ou mi!ht say it's the unwritten rules of life." Accordin! to Dr. 7obert &ternber! of 6ale" this informal knowled!e" or Street Smarts" is a far better predictor of mana!erial success than academic performance. 4e e*en said a *ery hi!h -.8. could be a detriment to mana!erial success. "- don't think &treet &marts has anythin! to do with bi! cities or small cities"" &ternber! said. "-t's no lon!er a ne!ati*e term that con+ures up ima!es of street !an!s or con artists. There is no denyin! that street smarts has its roots in the impo*erished areas of inner cities" places in which people had to de*elop certain abilities +ust to sur*i*e physically( but +ust as blues sin!ers are no lon!er sla*es" street smart people are no lon!er +ust city dwellers. They are born" raised" li*e" and work in all types of en*ironments. "&o how do you learn to be street smart% 9ne of the critical thin!s is +ust your attitude. 6ou must ha*e an attitude that this is somethin! that matters somethin! you can use to your ad*anta!e. &o a bi! part of learnin! is moti*ational. -t is almost a prere3uisite for de*elopin! it. Then you ha*e to seek out the information from other people" from your en*ironment" and from within yourself. The first is done by obser*in! &treet &mart people and askin! 3uestions of mentors. The second is done by payin! attention" both inwardly and outwardly. 6ou ha*e to let the knowled!e you already ha*e come out and we all ha*e more than we mi!ht !i*e oursel*es credit for." Abo*e all" it takes e$perience" constantly ad+ustin! your attitude to make the most of e*ery situation. 4ere's to more personal insi!ht"

www.alessandra.com

Welcome to this issue of "Dr. T's Timely Tips" by Dr. Tony Alessandra. Please send your feedback to info@alessandra.com!

'e Street Smart E(ery Day http !!www"alessandra"com!timelytips#!#)*"asp

#ecause street smarts are so important to e*ery part of your life" here is a 3uick re*iew of the ma+or elements that !o into street smarts. Print this list out and keep it with you" for a re!ular reminder to be street smart e*ery day. -. 4ei!htened Awareness A. Trust your intuition #. De*elop percepti*eness and ability to anticipate ). &i5e up people 3uickly and accurately D. &ee the bi! picture --. )onfidence A. ,ake it till you make it #. :se chut5pa when necessary ). #elie*e in yourself #e confident ---. 4ealthy &kepticism A. Don't belie*e e*erythin! you see and hear #. #e hard to take ad*anta!e of ). :se your "mental cate!ories" and !enerali5ations to keep you on !uard D. ;i*e people the time and rope to either han! themsel*es or pro*e their inte!rity<sincerity -=. 7esourcefulness A. Think 3uickly on your feet #. #e persistent ). #e prepared D. #e fle$ible >. )han!e your surroundin!s or adapt ,. &urround yourself with e$perts ? contacts =. 7isk takin! A. #e willin! to take risks #. 'inimi5e the possible down side ). )ut your losses and !et out if you're wron! D. @earn by your mistakes