Workplaces are full of humans. Their big brains have evolved to make them ideal for work-type tasks, but their evolutionary legacy also comes with certain behavioral bugs that can get in the way of working together as a high-performance team. In particular, humans are very concerned with social stature; that is, we are keenly aware [...]
Modern career paths involve more unexpected twists and turns than they used to. The vast majority of employees change organizations and job titles during the course of their career. College graduates from 2006 to 2010 could expect to average over 3 jobs in just their first five years of employment, a large increase from previous [...]
Southwest Airlines’ major claim to fame is that, as of 2019, it had 46 consecutive years of profitability. This long-term success is attributable to Herb Kelleher. His ability to lead while allowing others to grow and succeed plays a crucial role in why this company continually turns a profit in an industry where most do [...]
How do you become a leader? One traditional view of status and leadership involves assertive, forceful, and potentially aggressive behavior. Indeed, such dominance-based leadership can be effective in some circumstances. But–luckily for those of us who aren’t natural “alpha male” types–dominance is not the only way to be a successful, admired leader. In recent decades, [...]
Would you rather be competent (i.e., skilled and successful) or warm (i.e., helpful and friendly)? The good news is that you can be both. And importantly, the combination of competence and warmth leads to myriad benefits at the levels of personal development, employee growth, and organizational success. For instance, research shows that consumers think about [...]
Being an excellent manager is demanding. Managers need to organize, plan, and execute team goals, but the most effective ones also excel at the human aspects of people management like employee development and well-being. While managers are most often hired for leading projects, completing tasks or guiding company strategy, many people leaders find their management [...]
You probably recognize it. You’re stressed...really stressed. Perhaps everything seems to be going wrong, or you’re just overwhelmed by everything you need to do. It feels like you’re in a downward spiral and there is no way out. But hang on, there is a way you can break out of this vicious cycle: broaden your [...]
The math is simple: Successful sales people consistently initiate contact to start new fruitful alliances and close deals. However, for many, making contact is so uncomfortable that they avoid it, delay it or fake it with ineffective strategies such as conducting e-mail blasts or calling on only limited, emotionally safe segments of the market. Sales [...]
We admire perfectionists. Managers and employees alike view perfectionism as a positive trait that enables them to strive toward a perfect performance. However, there is a dark side to perfectionism: instead of leading to success, maladaptive perfectionism reduces productivity and mental well-being in the workplace. Of course, moderate levels of perfectionism can be ok. Such [...]