Doom and gloom are at an all-time high. Yet, many of us still have to go to work, lead our families, and sleep at night. It begs the question- how can we be optimistic- especially in the face of deep, turmoil? Learned optimism is an idea rooted in positive psychology..
[Read More]
Is fear a good motivator? It can be. Many years ago, my old boss said, “If you really want to get people to do something, make them afraid.” He wasn’t wrong. Fear does prompt people to act. The problem is, they’re only acting to alleviate the fear. When the.
[Read More]
In the last several month, many have faced (and continue to face) an unprecedented level of ‘unknown.’ Ambiguity can give rise to our deepest insecurities, and left unchecked, has the potential to fill us with fear. Being afraid is natural. But when you let fear take over, the world.
[Read More]
Fear has a chilling effect on our ability to engage. It ignites the most primal, self-serving part of our brains. When your brain has been hijacked by fear, your personal short-term interests trump everything else. You’re not able to connect with the person on the other side of the.
[Read More]
When I was a young manager I had an experience that forever altered my perspective of what it means to be a leader. Six months into my tenure as a sales manager, we got a new “big boss” who came to town to make sales calls with us. To.
[Read More]
When are you the most motivated? Chasing a huge opportunity? Or trying to avoid a major problem? Human motivation tends to boil down to two things: a desire for reward or fear of consequences. We call it the light of the solution vs. the heat of the problem. Unfortunately.
[Read More]
What if you gave a party and no one came? It’s almost worse than getting stood up for a date. At least on a no-show date, there’s only one person rejecting you. A no-show party means an entire guest list ditched you. A friend of mine once said, “Giving.
[Read More]
A client of ours was experiencing a drop in sales; financial performance was down, way down. The natural response is fear and panic. Unfortunately the natural response is the very worst path for a leader. Here’s how it usually plays out. The numbers look bad, leaders try to rectify.
[Read More]
I’m willing to do it, but I’m not sure he is. It’s the biggest obstacle to making a positive change. We want to know, for sure, that the other guy is all in with good intentions, before we fully invest ourselves. I was working on a consulting project recently.
[Read More]
We talk about you at dinner. Almost every night, our spouse or child gives us a recap of your day. We hear about your moods, what you said or did, sometimes, we even hear about your wardrobe and facial expressions. It’s probably not fair, but if you’re a boss.
[Read More]
