When we ignore contrarian thinkers and those who call out injustice, it can alter our ability to make risk intelligent decisions. This article explains the history behind a Devil’s Advocate role, where the phrase comes from (hint: it’s Catholic!), and the benefits of welcoming contrarian points of view.
Continue reading “What is a Devil’s Advocate Perspective?”
The best way to avoid problems and overcome barriers in a company is simple: Listen to the experiences and opinions of your employees. Although listening to negative feedback can feel challenging to leaders, it is one of the most valuable sources of risk intelligence.
In this episode, Grace explains the three ways for frustrated employees offer their opinions and which 5 steps will help you create Healthy Feedback Loops in your organization.
Continue reading “Honeybee, Scorpion, and Nuclear Employees [Podcast]”
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”
What does your company look like from the point of view of staff? In this Let’s Define video, I define the “Employee For a Day” concept and why it’s so important.
Read my definition of “Employee For a Day” and what happened when I tried this experiment as a new manager.
Watch the video, or read the transcript below:
Continue reading “[Video] Let’s Define… What is an “Employee For a Day”?”
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?”
Do you ever go through an “a-ha moment” that suddenly makes you aware of a totally new perspective?
That happened to me a few years ago. Like many top-level leaders, I had slowly and imperceptibly developed “Corporate Ladder Bias” during my transition from employee to executive. This subconscious change occurs when our field of vision is consumed with all the problems and headaches at the management level. We become blind to the day-to-day frustrations of what I call the “Foundational Staff.” These are employees at the lowest levels of an organization, including:
Continue reading “What Happened When I Became an “Employee For a Day””
