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...
Want to be a better human-centered leader? Watch a therapy dog team at work
As the two-legged member of a therapy dog team, I'm regularly practicing becoming a better human-centered leader with stronger empathy, vulnerability, and humility muscles. I still have a long way to go as I observe MarcelTheTherapyDog and all the other therapy dogs...
Want to be a better human? Use a mirror to look inside your peach pit
Are you more like a “peach”? Or a “coconut”? This differentiation comes from the work of culture experts Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner. In peach cultures, such as the United States, Americans often smile and talk with strangers in public settings, such...
How to practice wise compassion to do hard things that humans respect
Being a good human and being a responsible leader are not mutually exclusive. Compassionate leaders do both. In fact, doing hard things and making hard decisions is often the most compassionate thing to do, according to the authors and consultants Rasmus Hougaard and...
Want to do on-the-job learning? Be sure psychological safety exists
When I was studying the Complete Values Profile assessment earlier this year to use in my leadership coaching work, I wasn't thinking about the challenges I might face regarding psychological safety as a learner. Yet when it became time for me to put my new learning...
Why unlearning the “pronoun test” is helping me rewire my leadership mindset
My latest on-the-job learning? Unlearning a prevalent decade-old concept used in my coaching and consulting practice. And I started the unlearning while writing this blog! Not intentionally, but as a consequence of the need to rewire my leadership mindset to adapt to...
Is your brain to blame if you’re all filled up without room to grow?
“Wow, it’s obvious you’re not working for the Chamber of Commerce,” one of my local realtor friends exclaimed when she heard about the “What it’s like to live and work in Charleston” workshops I conduct for employers. You’re right, I responded. My purpose is to help...
