Self-promotion is not a dirty word - The Instagram Influencers posting a beautifully lit selfie every two minutes and TikTok stars having their videos watched hundreds of thousands of times, make self-promotion look like the most natural thing in the world these days. Yet the mere idea of putting...
Putting guilt under the microscope for managers - How the pandemic gave us an alarm to wake us up from the excessive guilt coma! In 2020, I was asked to deliver an interactive speech for leaders working in an organisation trying to cope with the pandemic. The senior manager was...
After Testing Positive for Covid, Elon Musk Contacted a Harvard Doctor. His Response Is a Master Class in Emotional Intelligence A fascinating Twitter conversation teaches major lessons in medicine, and persuasive communication. Elon Musk was frustrated. He had been experiencing mild sniffles, a cough, and a slight fever-enough symptoms...
It seems strange to launch a column on happiness during a pandemic. The timing is, well, awkward, isn’t it? Maybe not. We’re stuck at home; our lives on COVID time have slowed to a near halt. This creates all sorts of obvious inconveniences, of course. But in the involuntary quiet,...
The Leader’s Identity Mind Trap: Personal Growth for the C-suite - Millions of years of evolution have shaped our brains, with nature selecting for many adaptive and energy-saving, if imperfect, shortcuts. Some are easy to spot—for example, how we systematically fall for optical illusions and how our loss-aversion reflex...
Getting Uncomfortable on Purpose Thinking about purpose in business was once a provocative and urgent activity. A seminal HBR article from 1994 states, “In most corporations today, people no longer know—or even care—what or why their companies are,” and argues that “strategies can engender strong, enduring emotional attachments only when they are...
How To Have A Successful Career Without Selling Your Soul - Career dissatisfaction is a malaise that affects a majority of the U.S. workforce. Less than half of American workers are satisfied with their jobs, and only 32% of employees are engaged. Even worse, 16% of millennials are actively disengaged,...
Why People Refuse to Learn And Grow: As a leadership coach, I have learned that you cannot teach someone who doesn’t want to learn or grow. Without that desire, there is no use in advising or coaching, because it just won’t work. I have never been a big believer in...
How to Bounce Back From Rejection - We all get rejected at work, whether it’s having our suggestions shot down, being denied for a promotion or getting fired from a job. It hurts — and it’s not just a metaphor. Neuroscientists have scanned the brains of people who have...
Former Facebook HR Exec Says Many Bosses Too Uncomfortable To Ask Hugely Important Question - When she works with employees itching to take the next step in their careers, Sarah Wagener likes to ask a simple question: "Do you believe you've mastered your current role?"Typically, the answer is no.