• A Mind to Grow

    Attitude matters. A lot. If you think you can improve with hard work, you can. If you believe performance is limited by talent or physical characteristics, it is. Both are true. Talent matters. Anatomy makes a difference. But with the right attitude, you can overcome the limits of natural ability.

  • Active Constructive Responding

    How do you respond when someone tells you about something good that happened to them? Do you say “That’s great, congratulations!” while hurrying to your next meeting? If so, you are missing opportunities to build your relationships.

  • On Gifts and Giving

    According to Wharton Professor Adam Grant, givers often finish first. Grant’s research shows how givers—people who do more for others than they expect in return—rise in organizations.

  • Kick the Urgency Habit

    Perpetual busyness can propel us through our lives on autopilot, affecting our behavior, decisions, and relationships. When someone asks for my help and I say, “I’d like to help but I don’t have time,” what they hear me saying is, “Helping you is not my priority.” Read on to find out how you can kick the urgency habit.

  • Harnessing the Zeigarnik Effect for Productivity

    Unfinished business—whether it’s an unsolved problem or a draft of an email—has a way of resurfacing at unexpected moments. This is known as the Zeigarnik effect. How can you put the Zeigarnik effect to work for you? Read on to find out.

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Brain-Based Practices for Leaders

Seven leadership practices that work. We explain the research behind each practice and how you can use it to improve your personal and professional success.

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Chock full of the latest brain science to explain not just what you should do to be a great leader & manager but importantly—WHY.

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  • Goals are Good But Habits Will Take You Further

    We may not think about our habits often. Unlike goals, habits are not a one-time affair. We never "achieve" a habit. We can only strengthen it. By cultivating the right habits and routines, we will accomplish more in the long run.

  • Don’t Trust the Reviews

    Before I decide what to buy, I read the reviews. The more time I spend online, the more confused and frustrated I become. There is a better way. I will share with you my approach for navigating the review jungle to make better decisions. You can use the same approach to make any kind of decision at work or at home.

  • You Are What You Think: Being Resilient Does Not Require Being Right

    When we experience a bad event, we ask ourselves why. Why did it happen? Why am I experiencing this? How we explain negative experiences to ourselves strongly influences whether our response is resilience or resignation. Optimism, not accuracy, is essential for resilience.

  • Don’t Fear Change—Fear Being Left Behind

    A change whose time has come will be implemented, whether you like it or not. Will you be in the boat or treading water while the ship sails by? Or will you be on the bridge piloting the ship?

  • The Satisfaction Equation

    There’s little we can do to ensure we only experience great outcomes. However, we can learn to experience more satisfaction, no matter what the outcome. The key to increasing satisfaction is managing expectations.

  • That’s a Mighty Personal Habit—How to Break Stubborn Routines

    Anyone who’s ever tried to quit smoking, eat less or exercise more knows that changing personal habits is hard. The more often we repeat a routine behavior, the less we need to think about it. That’s one reason why entrenched behaviors are notoriously difficult to change—they happen without thinking.

  • Keeping Stakeholder Relationships On Course

    Managing stakeholder expectations can feel like steering a boat through rough seas. The “seascape” around the project is constantly changing. In this article I introduce an approach for managing stakeholders to maximize support and minimize interference.

  • Goals are Good But Habits Will Take You Further

    We may not think about our habits often. Unlike goals, habits are not a one-time affair. We never "achieve" a habit. We can only strengthen it. By cultivating the right habits and routines, we will accomplish more in the long run.

  • Don’t Trust the Reviews

    Before I decide what to buy, I read the reviews. The more time I spend online, the more confused and frustrated I become. There is a better way. I will share with you my approach for navigating the review jungle to make better decisions. You can use the same approach to make any kind of decision at work or at home.

  • You Are What You Think: Being Resilient Does Not Require Being Right

    When we experience a bad event, we ask ourselves why. Why did it happen? Why am I experiencing this? How we explain negative experiences to ourselves strongly influences whether our response is resilience or resignation. Optimism, not accuracy, is essential for resilience.

  • Don’t Fear Change—Fear Being Left Behind

    A change whose time has come will be implemented, whether you like it or not. Will you be in the boat or treading water while the ship sails by? Or will you be on the bridge piloting the ship?

  • The Satisfaction Equation

    There’s little we can do to ensure we only experience great outcomes. However, we can learn to experience more satisfaction, no matter what the outcome. The key to increasing satisfaction is managing expectations.