In most corporate environments, rationality dominates the conversation. Why is it so? What are we risking by favoring “the Head” and dismissing “the Heart”? How can we design a workplace that welcomes emotion, encourages empathy, and embraces individuality? This newsletter attempts to answer these three questions.
Read MoreWords. There is nothing better - or at least, more convenient - to communicate, influence, comfort, thank, share knowledge, encourage, negotiate... This newsletter is about words. It starts with tattoos, continues with a bold and frightening thought experiment from Chinese science fiction, and goes on with 3 practical ideas that help handle words with more care and intent, and thus, in a much more powerful way.
Read MoreThe Eye of the Storm is the center and ... the calmest part of it! We may not always find a safe, quiet place amidst the storm if we just look around. But we can always create quiet time and space inside our minds. And this quiet core can help weather the craziest of storms. This week's newsletter goes against any advice on how to do more and faster. Instead, it is about stopping, doing nothing, getting bored, and practicing the art of stillness. Often, all it takes is just 10 mindful minutes.
Read MoreAre you happily married? I'm asking not only about your personal life. I mean your work too - because it has all the ingredients of a long-term commitment. So how can we thrive in love and at work? 6 books helped me connect the dots and I heartily recommend putting all of them on your summer to-read list.
Read MoreIn this edition, I have collected tweets, videos, and snippets of wisdom from East and West that teach us two things: (1) Nothing is ever as good or as bad as it seems, and (2) Equanimity is probably the best strategy to face everything that happens to us.
Read MoreI am not a big fan of the expression ‘staff engagement’. It sounds like a one-way street where people owe the leaders their engagement, while leaders owe nothing much in return. My deep conviction is that if we want people to be engaged with us and our ideas we need ourselves to be deeply engaged with our people: meet them as they are and respect them. It's a two-way street. In this newsletter, I have explored the ideas that bring different perspectives to the topic of engagement.
Read MoreThe Law of the Least Effort rules the world, for better or for worse. What do you do when your convenience clashes with someone else’s?
Read MoreGood energy is like good art: you know it when you see it. You know it when you feel it. It is both attractive and contagious. How to boost it? How to keep it? And in hiring, is there anything more important than energy? A few ideas in this newsletter.
Read MoreWhen we change jobs and/or companies, our success - or failure - often depends on the trust we are able to build with our new team and across the wider organization. Trust - or lack thereof - can make it or break it when we step into a new role.
So, should we start with trust or distrust? What does trust mean exactly? How to build it? Does it work the same in different cultures? And do we always need trust? Here are a few ideas from very smart people that help answer these questions.
Read MoreWhen we consider a career transition, lucky are those who have a safe fallback plan. It’s great insurance that can give peace of mind. Isn’t it strange then that we sometimes stick to the fallback plan as our Plan A, while the dream remains always just a dream? Why do we mistake Plan B for Plan A? One recent consultation got me thinking about it and in this edition, I have collected a few ideas about risk and fear that may help if you find yourself in a similar situation.
Read MoreDoes it matter how fast we are going? How can you set yourself a steady pace? What is the difference between speed and velocity and why does direction matter? Why momentum is a far better concept than “potential” when it comes to people development?
Read MoreHow do you know you are doing a good job listening? What do great listeners do that makes us feel so alive and happy in their company? How can music help you become a better listener?
Read MoreHow to be perfect | Doing the right thing, or why do we need moral philosophy as business leaders | I’d rather learn than be right | Try to be right 51% of the time | How to be right more often | When being right is not right
Read MoreIs complexity bad? | Write boldly even when you’re afraid | When subtraction adds value | How to simplify without dumbing down | Maximize steps not taken
Read MoreExamine the bright spots | Don’t give feedback, give recognition | Resist the eulogy delay | Pay gratitude visits | Write Thank You letters | Do It Often | Keep a praise file | Life’s worth being grateful for
Read MoreEveryone has superpowers | Three ways to find yours | Two stories of exceptional ballet dancers | Plenty of music videos with the moves that will move you
Read MoreIt’s all about relationships. What are our key relationships at work? Why do they matter? Why is management one of the noblest of professions? What makes a good relationship? Which mental models can we use to evaluate a relationship? And can we build great relationships at scale?
Read MoreWhat is good learning? How can we learn to understand? How do we learn what can't be taught? Do we need university degrees at all? And finally, do all the learning and experience guarantee us success in a changing world?
Read MoreWhatever you always wanted to do, start now, be impatient with actions and patient with results, slow down to go fast, and stay in the game long enough to - maybe 😉! - see the Big Magic happen.
Read MoreNew Year’s resolutions are easy to make and hard to keep. In this newsletter, a few ideas that can help you stick to your resolutions and live a year worth binge-watching.
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