Just like people, teams have personalities. While the nature of teams has shifted since our tribal hunter-gatherer days, teams are still one of our most crucial social structures. How we introduce hopefulness into our teams can be the difference between joyful collaboration and frustrating second-guessing. While you may not always have the luxury of hand-picking … Read more
When positive psychologist Dr. Rick Snyder was on sabbatical from his teaching job at the University of Kansas, he went to the library to study the academic research on hope, only to discover that there was none. Why? Because no one had thought hope was a measurable concept.
While it may seem obvious that teams that communicate effectively are apt to be more successful than ones that don’t, the data tells a far richer story than that. Researchers at MIT’s Human Dynamics Lab conducted multiple studies to see how the most successful teams communicate. What they learned may surprise you. One of their … Read more
Are you suffering from stress creep? Discover how to nip it in the bud! You know what it’s like when you’re down to the wire on a project and suddenly that jolt of adrenalin kicks in and gets you to the finish line? That’s stress. In small doses, stress can give you a welcome energy … Read more
It’s time to rediscover the lost art of listening. As an executive coach specializing in leadership, I conduct a lot of 360 assessments. If you’re unfamiliar with that process, it’s a development tool that gathers feedback from a client’s supervisor, colleagues, and direct reports to see what’s working – and what’s not – in terms … Read more
As part of my work, I’ve helped name products, book titles, service packages and a couple of companies. Although it’s likely that your business or the company you work for already has a name, that doesn’t mean that you’re through with the naming process. You may be charged with naming a project, team, corporate initiative, … Read more
First Kate Spade. Then Anthony Bourdain. Then the report released by the CDC saying that suicide has increased by 25% since 1999, making it the 10th leading cause of death in the US. If we learn anything from these losses – including the non-celebrities among them – it’s that the conversation about addiction, mental illness, … Read more
I just returned from keynoting at the Arizona Leading Age conference for people who work in the elder care space. These dedicated experts have such an abundance of compassion for the seniors in their care, I was inspired to share this information from my new book, The Hope-Driven Leader: Harness the Power of Positivity at … Read more
There’s a common misconception that you can form a habit in 21 days. Like lots of other urban legends, this one is rooted in a little bit of truth. Dr. Maxwell Maltz was a plastic surgeon who wrote the blockbuster self-help book Psycho-Cybernetics in 1960. Dr. Maltz noticed that when he performed plastic surgery on … Read more
While most of us consider selfishness an unsavory trait, there are times that it’s absolutely critical to watch out for number one. Like in your career! If you want to stay happy and hopeful in your current position while you pave the way for an even better professional future it’s essential that you learn … Read more