Make meetings meaty, mobile and memorable
Who says offsite meetings have to be in conference rooms? Or even indoors. Why not go outdoors? And do some time travel too? And while you’re at it, get a jumpstart on some key actions. Check out this “meeting on the move.” Last month, 25 members of a global...
Take the long shortcut to influence
The words “dignity and respect” on a slide isn’t sufficient to teach ethics. That's what General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told students at the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy last week as he stressed the importance of...
3 ways to calm “why” vs. “how” feuds
“Everyone Welcome! Even the McCoy’s” On the surface, this sign at Hatfield’s BBQ in Nashville alludes to the long-running, post-Civil War Hatfield -- McCoy feud from neighboring Kentucky and West Virginia. For me, studying applied neuroscience through the...
3 ways to increase your team’s smarts
If you have a STEM team, make sure it includes at least one LEAF. Even if your team’s area of expertise is other than STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), you can still bolster the team’s collective intelligence by making sure you add some special...
3 ways to adapt better to different cultures
Think culture just surrounds us? Think again. Culture is embedded in our brain. This was one of many ah-ha’s in my applied neuroscience coursework through the Neuroleadership Institute. While I knew that each person’s brain is different, I didn’t realize the extent to...
Be a workhorse—target your messages to pain and pleasure
Are you pulled by vision or pushed by pain? Your brain shows a preference. You either prefer to approach pleasurable opportunities or you make a point to avoid potentially painful experiences. For example, do you want to floss your teeth to improve your breath and the...
Embrace talking points as a springboard
Talking points deserve some respect, not ridicule or scorn—at least in organizations. Why the defense of talking points? Last month in the Bay Area, the media and neighborhood groups criticized Google for issuing talking points to employees about its private bus...
Craving “cognitive coherence” for purpose, people and process
What do you do when the mismatch between purpose, people and process is of seismic proportions? If you’re like most of us, you try to reconcile the differences. You either attempt to alter your behavior or your beliefs. Last week, a non-profit organization contacted...
Top 10 traits you want in a collaborator
We humans are designed to work and play well with others, as Matthew Lieberman so eloquently wrote in his new book Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect. Thanks to the fMRI technology, a type of brain scanner that collects images of oxygen use inside an...
