“I get completely caught up in fire-fighting and can’t find the time to advance my longer-term priorities.”- It’s a common managerial wailing. We all have either used it ourselves or have heard people around us use it at work. The…
Humor in business is considered frivolous. It dilutes the message. Business is about achievement, productivity, making money, accomplishing tangible things. However, we as human beings learn best in moments of enjoyment, and by personal experience. Thomas Wright, a professor of…
There is a paradox when it comes to what we expect in leaders. On one hand, we believe that effective leaders display humility — they bring out the best in others, are open to admitting their shortcomings and mistakes, and give…
If there’s one thing that has been constant across civilizations, that’s change. Today’s technological revolution, triggered by breakthroughs like artificial intelligence(AI), machine learning, and big data, is all set to disrupt the lives of at least three billion people working…
You sometimes hear managers complain that their organization has no strategy. This isn’t true! Every organization has a strategy: its strategy is what it does. Think about it. Every organization competes in a particular place, in a particular way, and…
To grow and innovate, organizations have to come up with creative ideas. At the employee level, creativity results from a combination of expertise, motivation, and thinking skills. At the team level, it results from the synergies between team members, which…
There is a lot of research – most of it from the West, on what keeps employee engagement high. While there is truth to all that research of understanding an employee’s intrinsic motivation – their values, personal vision aspirations etc.,…
The 18th-century polymath Jeremy Bentham once wrote, “Pain and pleasure govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think.” Modern neuroscience strongly supports Bentham’s intuition. The brain’s limbic system, which is important for emotion and…
When you exchange pleasantries with a co-worker in the elevator, the two of you are building trust. Face-to-face meetings, office parties, and opportunities to socialize together after work-hours can all contribute to the feeling that your fellow employees will be…
Every year, around this time, there’s a burst of new sign-ups from workers seeking new skills. Unfortunately, the initial commitment to learning often fizzles out. Those who give up miss out on reported career benefits, such as doing their current…