As leaders, we all want to be competent and successful. The problem is that our quest for success can be demanding. It can feel lonely at the top. But as a leader, you can’t afford to be isolated. You deserve a rich, full life—including a social life. Every leader can thrive by cultivating friendships, protecting […]
Archive for relationships
Questions Reveal Your Interest
5 Strategies to Get Understanding
Anytime a person must gather information, there is no substitute for asking the right questions. Asking the right questions means asking someone to teach you things you do not know, or correcting you if your knowledge is distorted. We see forms of questions all around us: a manager interviews a job applicant, a detective talks […]
The Science of Curiosity
Taking an Interest Can Lead to a Longer, Better Life
Curiosity starts early. Children throw cups from highchairs over and over, testing gravity and their parents. They repeat the same noises and ask the same questions, exploring sound and language. When everything is new, there are countless experiments to run. The answers are awe-inspiring: sunsets, gravity, hula hoops, and bugs. As more and more questions […]
3 Questions All Great Leaders Ask
As leaders, we often think we must have all the answers. That can result in a leadership style that exudes arrogance and ignores the wisdom that might be sitting in the room. In this episode, you’ll learn how to avoid becoming stagnated or committing foolish errors by learning to ask three types of questions in […]
Investigative Leadership
The Right Questions Can Lead to Business Breakthroughs
Eight years ago, Craig Ross achieved a career milestone. He became the majority owner, CEO, and president of Verus Global, a leadership development organization based in Littleton, Colorado. There was no time to celebrate because of declining profits and growth. “For the first time in my career, I was asking questions I’d never asked,” Ross says. […]
The Counsel of Scorpions
Who We Choose to Listen to Matters
Solomon was said to be the most successful king that Israel ever had—renowned for his wisdom and his riches. His heir Rehoboam, not so much. Of the 12 tribes of Hebrews that constituted the nation of Israel, 10 revolted under Rehoboam’s reign. Later leaders would manage shaky alliances. But after Rehoboam, it was no longer […]
The Science of Intuition
Your Brain's Attention-to-Detail Is Like a Superpower
Your intuition is a lot like Shawn Spencer. If you’re not familiar with the hit TV show Psych, Spencer is a private detective with a twist: he has everyone convinced he is psychic. In fact, his supernatural, detecting power is nothing more than exceptional attention-to-detail. How is this like intuition? Though people are apt to […]
Big Data is Overrated
We Need to Rediscover that Numbers Aren't Everything
If thou gaze long into an algorithm, the algorithm will also gaze into… well, not exactly thee, right? More like a patchy portrait of your likeness churned out by a mimeograph low on ink—sharply delineated in a few areas, sure, but hazy and obscure in many others. Yet close enough in the broad strokes to […]
How to Avoid a Nuclear War
And Make Other Great Decisions
You will never make a fully-informed decision. Accept it. The reality is that every choice involves using limited information, can have unforeseen consequences, and, because of conditions that change before your very eyes, may end up being the wrong decision anyway. Then you will have to change your mind. Yet you still can make good […]
Anatomy of a Great Decision
Decision making may be the toughest thing leaders do. we have to make critical choices that affect the welfare and livelihood of dozens or even thousands of people—often using conflicting or incomplete information. In this episode, we’ll show you the three factors leaders must consider when making an important choice.
The Power of Your Words to Shape Outcomes
Leaders always want positive outcomes, but many are unaware of how their thoughts and words may undermine their success. Based on years of shaping the culture of organizations, Michael and Megan show you three key principles to ensure that your words have a positive effect on your organization—and yourself.
The Science of Naps
Snooze Now, Conquer Later
My two-year-old is asleep for the third time today. I thought I had developed a clever disciplinary method when I started telling him that cranky kids need naps, and sending him to bed multiple times. Turns out I was being more clever than I knew. Instead of being better behaved, he just keeps going to […]