Why autonomy matters and how you can use it to your advantage
Autonomy is a HUGE benefit for so many of us. Just ask -- er, watch -- my dog Marcel in action. He loves to choose where to walk, whether to take the elevator or the stairs, and where and when to drink. And we humans love our autonomy too. It serves as a feel-good...
5 ways to power up and reenergize your change communication
The story of the investment firm Engine No. 1 gaining three ExxonMobil board seats for their carefully selected candidates initially reminded me of the classic children’s book The Little Engine That Could. If you remember the story, a little engine agrees to try to...
13 clever ‘hacks’ to adopt a more optimistic mindset
In this expert panel from the Forbes Coaches Council, 13 Forbes Coaches Council members, including me, shared clever “hacks” that you can use to increase your optimism, or at least turn your pessimistic outlook into a more optimistic mindset. Being more optimistic...
Want to be a better leader? Try growing up, not out!
“Grow up!” This phrase has new meaning to me this year now that I’ve started to study vertical stage development to grow leaders. Vertical stage development is more about an individual’s personal growth and less about the skills an individual acquires and polishes. To...
How to be credible and confident with your choice of words
How carefully do you choose your words -- especially PUNG words (probably, normally, usually, and generally)? The latter have a reputation for being tentative words that can diminish the power of your message. However, those who communicate clearly and credibly adjust...
Bless your heart! Do you need me to be direct or indirect?
What’s your communication style: direct or indirect? And how does it affect you on the job and in your community? This was one of the lively discussion topics in the intercultural training program I recently facilitated for expat employees moving to Charleston for...
How to protect your right to speak and vote to save democracy
Company leaders ordering employees to stop talking about politics at work is akin these days to generals who are preparing to fight the last war. How do you win a war of words when the conversation has moved past politics? The new dividing line is between facts and...
How to use the ‘power of yet’ to encourage learning and growth
Have you discovered "the power of yet"? This three-letter word is especially potent for increasing learning, building engagement, and improving self-confidence, especially when working with powerful jerks. In my Forbes article, How to use the 'power of yet' to...
Want to see a culture clash? Put rule makers with rule breakers
Learning about Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: Tight and Loose Cultures and the Secret Signals That Direct Our Lives has been a memorable experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. The book’s author, Dr. Michele Gelfand, is a professor in cross cultural psychology at the...
