How to speak up and stop the toxic silence
What’s the noise level in your workplace? Even if the decibel level is higher than you like, you and your co-workers could still be experiencing a deafening degree of silence in one aspect -- the lack of employee voices speaking up. A significant number of people...
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How to make learning a habit you enjoy
Are you too busy working to take time to learn? That common attitude will only hurt you. Instead, recognize that learning doesn't have to be a discrete activity that begins when a bell rings or a deadline looms. You can learn in flexible ways that fit your interests,...
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How to use dissent to your advantage
Do you long for consensus over dissent on your teams? If so, you might be surprised to learn that dissent has a distinct upside. You and your team members can reap many benefits from dissent without actively searching for it. The secret is simply avoid the suppression...
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Why and how humility makes you a better leader
In Good-bye Swaggering CEOS; Hello Mr. Rogers, a recent Wall Street Journal article, Sam Walker wrote about how companies are showing a preference for hiring “unassuming chiefs to tamp down scandals, toxic cultures, and drama.” Walker, a former reporter and editor at...
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The power of resiliency — and how to prepare for the coming storms
According to psychologists, individuals with good resilience are able to bounce back from hardships, oftentimes life-shattering, more quickly and with less stress than someone whose resilience is less developed. It was a lesson I had forgotten until I heard Facebook...
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Do you want to win in a “masculinity contest culture”?
How do you define “face time” in your organization? If you started your career any time last century, “face time” is probably a cultural touchstone. It refers to “the time spent at one's place of employment especially beyond normal work hours” based on the Merriam...
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How to think better by boosting your Ah-Ha’s
Exercising at my local Pure Barre studio has become one of my strongest and most consistent habits. Since September 1, 2014, I’ve taken more than 750 classes. Earlier this month, the studio honored me for this accomplishment. The celebration featured a handwritten...
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How to be more curious at work
How often do you think kids ask questions? About 70 to 80% of the time they’re talking, according to the authors Tom Pohlmann and Neethi Mary Thomas in their Harvard Business Review article, “Relearning the Art of Asking Questions.” These numbers come from the poll...
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How to improve the conversation in the room
Are you experiencing this too in your meetings and other face-to-face events? Groups of 12 to 18 individuals who convene face-to-face are speaking up, pushing back, and staying together. Over the past six months, about half a dozen of in-person groups I’ve...
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