Poor hearing

Poor hearing affects us all. Not the physical kind. The selective kind. We’re sharp when we’re ready. Deaf when we’re not. Your message might be perfect. Your timing might not be. The recipient decides when they’re ready to receive what...

Are you setting failure traps

The CEO announced bold revenue targets—triple growth in eighteen months. The team nodded enthusiastically. Six months later, morale was crushed, and key people had quit. Sound familiar? This is not unique to organizations, and is even more prevalent in our individual...

Rumors kill momentum

Rumors spread faster than wildfire in organizations. They start in break rooms, flourish in Slack channels, and multiply during coffee conversations. But here’s what research tells us: 80% of workplace rumors contain significant inaccuracies, according to a...

Breakthroughs hide in banter

Seinfeld began with two friends sharing everyday thoughts. Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David turned casual conversations into comedy gold. Twitter started during a company brainstorming session about podcasting. Post-it Notes emerged from a failed adhesive experiment...

Who questions your choices

Power has a peculiar effect on judgment. The higher you climb, the quieter dissent becomes. Your board might nod. Your team might smile. Your family might defer. But who actually stops you when you’re about to make a costly mistake? Consider Theranos. Elizabeth...