3 ways to set people up for success and follow through on your requests
Be big, bold, and brief. That’s an effective way to cut through clutter, get people’s attention, and get them to complete a simple action. The managed health care company Aetna definitely snagged my attention with the envelope pictured here. The envelope spoke to me,...
4 ways to motivate employees to come to you… some of the time
If you’re a Boomer or Gen X boss trying to get employees back in the office, you’re going to have a hard time persuading people that the way you like to do things is the best and only place and way to work. Instead, you’ve got to go where the workers are and motivate...
How facts can get in your way when you’re trying to be influential
Want to seize people’s attention, capture their hearts and minds, and get them to say “yes” – maybe even before you ask? Read Influence Is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen, the new book by Yale behavioral...
11 potentially brand-damaging mistakes corporations make with DEI initiatives
In this expert panel from the Forbes Coaches Council, 11 Forbes Coaches Council members, including me, shared mistakes corporations -- and at least one nonprofit organization -- have made around DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) efforts. These mistakes run the...
Why I’m scared about the erosion of our rights, freedom, and democracy
“The world only spins forward.” – Tony Kushner, Angels in America, Part Two Perestroika 1992 Life in the United States now feels like it’s lurching backwards. It’s harder to exercise our freedoms. The freedom to speak, to gather safely, to vote in elections, to make...
How you can learn to “navigate the swirl” to grow and innovate
Language is foundational for building and leading organizations, according to Richard S. Hawkes, the author of an intelligent new business book. Hawkes, who’s also the founder of the the management consulting firm Growth River, believes that “organizations evolve at...
The theory on learned helplessness has been debunked—here’s what that means for leaders
The next time you want to say someone's afflicted with learned helplessness, stop. One of the original researchers who named the theory debunked his own work a few years ago! The revised theory is that we don’t learn helplessness. Instead, we instinctively shut down...
How analytics can help you be a more equitable leader
Appreciate, or even, expect equal pay for equal work, and other fair treatment too? You’re not alone. Fairness—or equity—is not just something we desire; it’s an evolved behavior. That’s a key learning from my online class on the neuroeconomics of decision-making from...
Stories about 2 leaders: a GM who appreciates others and a founder who punches down
“How do I balance the wants and needs of all the many stakeholders I serve?” This question was always top of mind for a hotel general manager in Canada’s Niagara Falls. Her employer had identified her and several others as the top North American GMs who upheld the...
