An equation I’ve shared before: p=P-i If the product (p) we get is our potential (P) minus the interference (i), it’s helpful to identify the interference. One example of that is how some people react to being rushed to “think faster.” Except, hurrying doesn’t work for everyone. Have you ever been paralyzed when told to … Read more
This post is another insight I learned from reading Quiet by Susan Cain. Pressure from others or from our culture can unduly influence the choices we make, whether it’s career choices, selecting projects, or deciding what hobbies to take up. Extroverts tend to push forward and chart their own path. There’s a societal bias for … Read more
It has been a year since the world turned up side down. Whereas the lockdowns are easing, people are getting vaccinated, and life is beginning to look more like “normal,” we are faced with a hard truth: people are burned out and mental health problems continue to increase. One positive result of the pandemic is … Read more
In chapter three of Quiet, Susan Cain tells us “Collaboration Kills Creativity.” The notion that working in teams can sometimes stifle innovation has been making the rounds for a while now, and Cain provides a brilliant explanation of the phenomenon and what to do about it. She calls it the danger of the “New Groupthink:” … Read more
Be bold. Strike out on your own. Chart your course. Do it first. Come out of your shell. Stake your claim. These sound natural in our culture, and you might see versions of them on posters in offices and locker rooms. They are meant to inspire and encourage hard work. But what about phrases like … Read more
“Most feedback is correct and delivered poorly.” A deep-thinking and well-read client, Ryan, said this during a session and it really hit me. It’s simple and important. Most feedback is— Correct Delivered Poorly Have you ever disregarded feedback because it was delivered poorly? Can you filter out the delivery and accept the correctness? Poor delivery … Read more
Feelings play a role in every decision we make. We humans love to think of ourselves as fully logical and rational at our best, but we are wired to have emotions. And I’m glad we are. But, it’s also true that I don’t always make my best decisions when I’m emotionally charged. I can put … Read more
I used to have a slide in my leadership presentations which read: The clear path to greatness: Deliver (both what’s expected of you, and what you’ve promised) Be your own source of accountability I even wrote a blog post about this a while back. The premise is straightforward and mostly true for many people: So … Read more
Earlier this year we conducted back-to-back DiSC sessions over five days for a single organization. While it was exhausting thanks to Zoom fatigue, it was also rewarding to see the proverbial light bulbs turning on above everyone’s head. In a breakout room, one participant even commented, “This is the missing piece I’ve been searching for!” I have never … Read more
Because I’m a big proponent of The Ideal Team Player, with humility chief among its virtues, I worry people might think the concept of projecting confidence flies in the face of being humble. The opposite is true, however. Humility and confidence go hand-in-hand. One way to immediately see the connection is to tie humility to … Read more