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Give People Time and Space to Be More Creative
Creativity takes time, requiring people to struggle down several blind alleys before finding the right solution. That’s why a lot of creative activity may look suspiciously like loafing around until a breakthrough happens. But if an organization truly …
Let Gratitude Guide Your Self-Improvement Efforts
When we ask ourselves where we can improve, the list often comes from our shortcomings: maybe we talk too much, waste too much time, or focus on low-priority things. So we think about improving by reversing the list: talk less, be more productive, foc…
Good Leaders Don’t Ignore Their Personal Lives
Good leaders put aside their own needs for the good of the organization — but that doesn’t mean they completely sacrifice their personal lives. Leaders who subjugate their need for exercise, sleep, and recreation eventually succumb to brownout: the gra…
Good Listeners Ask Good Questions
Some people equate good listening with sitting silently, nodding, making eye contact, and, when the speaker is done, paraphrasing what you heard. But these things are only part of what makes someone feel that you heard them. The best listeners go deepe…
To Work Less, Rethink How You Spend Your Time
You want to work less but you can’t imagine how, especially since you feel like you’re already behind. Begin by deciding how much you want to work. Set a target range of hours — for example, 45–50 hours per week — and use that number as a stopping poin…
Rethink What You Want to Do vs. What You “Should” Do
Are you doing the things you want to do? Or the things you think you should? Sometimes, other people’s wishes tamp down our true desires for our jobs and careers. But dutifully fulfilling others’ expectations is unlikely to make you happy over the long…
Should Your Goals Be Rigid or Flexible?
There are two ways to approach your goals: You can be flexible, and let the next steps evolve as you work toward your objective, or you can be rigid, and set specific actions to take. To decide which approach you should use, ask yourself how difficult …
Create a “Yes List” to Break Your Bad Habits
Does this sound familiar? You know you have a bad habit (maybe it’s interrupting others, or micromanaging), so you set out to change your ways. At first, you’re full of energy and enthusiasm, but as time goes on you slip back into your old behavior. If…
Develop Resiliency by Focusing on Three Traits
Some people thrive in the face of setbacks, while others seem unable to recover. For example, how would you respond to being laid off or not getting a promotion? Would regaining your confidence be fairly easy, or very difficult? According to the Harvar…
Run Your Business Like A Large Corporation
Running a small business usually means one or two people are responsible for almost everything. Despite not having to manage many people and multiple locations, there are some tools used by large corporations that should be used by small companies, eve…