What can we do to avoid a catastrophe like Chernobyl?
Although your business may not be facing problems to the magnitude of a nuclear plant meltdown, it’s still possible to completely miss the warning signs that the ‘wheels are coming off the wagon.”
I have found that the best way to develop a resilient response to disasters is by relying on the feedback of Devil’s Advocates.
Continue reading “7 Things HBO’s Chernobyl Taught Me About Devil’s Advocates”
Some years, things go really well.
And some years, they do not.
If you’ve experienced a lot of difficulties in your business, you may be tempted to see it as a massive failure:
“What a crummy year! It was so terrible. I can hardly wait for it to be over.”
“The new year can’t come soon enough.”
Even you were not able to meet your strategic business objectives this year, I encourage you to consider the positives that happened, rather than speeding past it.
Continue reading “What to Do If Your “Year In Review” is a Disappointment”
What are you scared of?
As humans, we are biologically hard-wired to treat every perceived threat in an extreme way, with one of four reactions:
A recent event at a coffee shop in Philadelphia has stirred controversy about subconscious bias, corporate policies, and how to repair a company’s fractured reputation.
In this article, I explain:
Continue reading “How to Recognize Implicit Bias After What Happened to Starbucks”
This is the final in a 3-part series about Pain and Decision-Making.
In previous posts, I described ways to see pain objectively, and how to identify pain points, and ways to fix them. In this article, we’ll be examining some difficult topics that most leaders tend to avoid.
Continue reading “5 Painful Discussions That No Organization Should Ignore”
This is the second in a 3-part series about Pain and Decision-Making.
Although pain is usually viewed as harmful (“bad pain”), it can also help us (“good pain”). Let’s examine the useful kind.
Continue reading “How to Use Good and Bad Pain in Decision-Making”
Pain isn’t something most of us want to experience. We are hard-wired to avoid unpleasant conversations, experiences, and memories. And most of the time, this instinct serves us well.
But when it comes to recognizing risks — vulnerabilities and threats that could cause harm — avoiding pain is dangerous.
This is the first in a 3-part series about Pain and Decision-Making.
In this post, I will review the basics of pain, our unique thresholds, corresponding fears, and how to evaluate and properly both pain and managing risk. Continue reading “What Happens When We Avoid Pain in Decision-Making?”
Diversity, transparency, empathy.
When organizations welcome these qualities while maintaining structure and stability, they’re ahead of the game.
It is often difficult to find the right balance between an aggressive approach and a passive one when managing a business. In this article, I will describe the 5 types of risk, the 5 risk roles of executive leaders, and how these apply to balancing the Yin and Yang of Management.
Continue reading “Yin and Yang and the 5 Risk Roles of Executive Leaders”
What are blind spots, and why do leaders struggle with them? In this Let’s Define episode, I will explain the 3 types of blind spots and how to overcome them.
Read my definition of Blind Spots
Watch the video, or read the transcript below:
Continue reading “[Video] Let’s Define… What are Blind Spots?”
Evaluating your own professional worth can be very difficult. As mentioned in previous posts, our underlying discomfort with transactions can cause us to make long-lasting mistakes.
Even outwardly “successful” business owners often struggle with Imposter Syndrome: the fear that eventually, someone will find out we were faking it all along. As a practitioner, you may feel uncomfortable discussing costs with your customers. You might wonder when you’ll get paid but take extreme measures to avoid discussing the topic of money.
These are all signs of Transaction Avoidance.
If you are having trouble charging what you’re worth, here are some tips:
Continue reading “What is Transaction Avoidance Syndrome? Part 3 of 3”
