The way we use the term “trigger” reflects something odd about the Zeitgeist of the early decades of the 21st century. As it became a common term in popular psychology, “trigger” could have taken on positive, neutral or negative associations. A trigger could have been any cue yielding any automated response. Yet somehow in popular […]
Where there is a will there is a way; just remember you usually have to train yourself in how to follow that way
The behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman and the tennis philosopher W. Timothy Gallwey both argue that each of us is divided into two separate systems or selves – one conscious the other automated. While they both acknowledge the positive contributions of the automated self they are less aligned on the contribution of the conscious self, especially […]
When it comes to well-being and health, you may not know until you try AND science is ALSO essential!
Proactive personal experimentation sometimes reveals a change you can make to improve your own health and well-being even if the mechanism has not yet been validated through science. When you learn something new, share the discovery generously. The placebo effect alone can actually be very powerful, and sometimes you open a door to scientific discovery […]
Anxiety is a natural part of learning; rather than hiding from it, learn how to work with it
‘There are two kinds of anxiety associated with learning: “learning anxiety” and “survival anxiety.”‘ – MIT organizational scholar Edgar Schein in 2002 HBR interview with Diane L. Coutu Edgar Schein suggested that acknowledging that anxiety is a natural part of process of growth can help us make sense of all those negative feelings so that […]
“Growth mindsets” are cultivated in the fertile soil of “cultures of growth”
According to Mary Murphy, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Indiana, to help individuals find a “growth mindset” we need to cultivate a “growth culture.” Our ability to maintain a growth mindset is influenced by how the people around us talk about growth. In a Hidden Brain interview, she explains, “The […]
Diversity “is”; you have to “do” inclusion.
The shift toward inclusion actually calls upon us to DO something. If focusing on inclusion actually induces us to ensure everyone’s inclusion (i.e. full participation in the belonging, learning, contributing and challenging activities of the society or organization they are joining), then putting more emphasis on inclusion than diversity could be broadly advantageous. After all, […]
“Psychological safety” may not be such a new concept after all;) Humiliation has never been a great leadership technique
“If you fall into the habit of getting angry and punishing your men, those who hear about it will not want to become your close retainers. Avoid humiliating them if they already have a sense of shame.” – Hojo Shigetoki (北条重時) in “The Letter to Nagatoki” (六波羅殿御家訓), circa 1240 AD Made sense in the 13th century; makes sense in […]
What is the purpose of your public EDITing practice?
Recently, I’ve listened to a number of programs exploring how we EDIT the stories we tell about ourselves, others and the rest of the world. Ezra Klein did an interview on the role of the editor in creating coherent narratives in journalism and art. TTBOOK did a feature on how we have become a self-creating […]
「持ちつ持たれつ」
「持ちつ持たれつ」：互いに助けたり助けられたり。(from Kotobank) Transactional translations of this phrase might run something along the lines of “Give and take” or “You scratch my back; I’ll scratch yours.” Though we no doubt sometimes support each other in transactional (perhaps even selfish or collusive) ways, my own sense of the phrase 「持ちつ持たれつ」 is that in many cases it should […]
APGCCM: How do you invite your people to be drivers of sustainable high-performance?
The formula for higher performance AND enhanced well-being is: Agency Purpose Growth Connection Contribution Meaning How do we enable managers to become drivers of APGCCM as a core part of their roles? (Agency + Purpose + Growth) x (Connection + Contribution + Meaning) APGCCM for productivity Putting in place mechanisms that bolster and balance “agency” […]