We need other people’s feedback to make ourselves (and our organizations) better. But what many people fail to realize is that collecting feedback is only one step in a longer process of self-improvement. The next two steps in the feedback loop, processing and responding, are must not be forgotten. Feedback needs to be heard, yes; […]
Do You Have a Motive?
People are motivated by many kinds of desires. To sell something, first you need to get to know your audience—especially what motivates them. Understanding the psychology of motivation is the key to the art of persuasion. People are much more apt to buy into ideas and personalities than they are to buy products or plans. […]
The Art of Customer Service
A lot of experts talk about how important it is to provide good customer service. But a single extraordinary experience where customer service goes above and beyond does not guarantee continued patronage. The truth is that most consumers don’t need stellar customer service. They just want to achieve their desired outcome with as little effort […]
2 Things You Need to Know About Teamwork
Successful endeavors are difficult, if not impossible, to undertake as as an individual. To reach the upper echelons of achievement, you need a great team. But simply forming that team won’t lead to great teamwork by itself. One way to make sure that everyone on the team is on the same page is to align […]
Stop Obsessing Over Your Mistakes
Have you found yourself staring at your own image during a Zoom call, worried about how silly or tired you look? Self-consciousness is part of human nature, but most of the time it doesn’t serve us well. Giving a presentation can make us hyper-aware of every mistake or near-mistake, for example. Letting yourself feel embarrassed […]
Unfinished Business
It’s much easier to start a new project than to finish an old one. Our open tasks can accrue over time, piling up until they become intimidating to address. Such unfinished business can become a mental roadblock. Tackling unfinished work may feel overwhelming at first, but if the task is broken into smaller steps, you […]
This Is How You Win
They say that desire is the mother of invention. The adage may sound like a cliché, but it happens to be true: desire is a powerful motivating force. Having the desire to achieve a specific goal will cause you to think about it all the time. These thoughts will eventually produce your best insights and […]
One Person Can Make or Break Your Organization
There’s a lot of focus on leadership in business, but the truth is that every person in an organization matters. A single employee may be the difference between whether a company-wide initiative succeeds or fails. In one study about collaboration, researchers found that when one person spoke up repeatedly and did not let other members […]
What’s Your Blind Spot?
What you can’t see can still hurt you. Sheryl Sandberg learned this principle early in her career at Google, where her personal experience directly informed institutional policy. In 2004, she became pregnant with her first child. With this experience came a revelation: there should be special parking privileges for pregnant women. Since Sandberg was a […]
Passion Is Overrated
Have you ever been given the advice to follow your passion? According to Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, that piece of conventional wisdom is nonsense. People who allow passions to direct their decisions tend to make unwise choices. They take risks and make other bad business decisions. According to Adams, it’s a much safer […]
