One of the prized attributes of successful leaders today is “authenticity.” Research has shown that leaders who are perceived as honest and genuine and remain true to themselves positively impact the well-being of their employees, inspiring them to trust the organization, work harder, and perform at a higher level. In their quest for power and […]
Read More… from Showing a Weakness Makes Leaders More Authentic
While the impact on employee behaviour of prosocial preferences the desire to care about others and avoid harming them is well-documented, little research has been conducted on the impact of prosocial behaviour on managerial behaviour. A study from Columbia University reveals that prosocial preferences can influence the strategic decisions of business leaders and owners (summarized […]
Read More… from Prosocial Managers May Put Employee Interests Above the Company’s
A wide-ranging overview of related psychological studies reveals that, without exception, bad has a greater impact than good, no matter the context. Here is some of the evidence presented by the researchers: Reacting to Events: Studies demonstrate that a major negative event has a lasting impact on an individual; a major positive event results in […]
After we have finished a compelling book or a film, the narrative of the story will linger in our minds. This lingering is involuntary: we do not choose or decide to think about the story. Emotional experiences and social interactions, research has shown, have the same lingering impact after their occurrence. A study by a […]
Read More… from Making Messages Linger with Thought-Provoking Stories
One often-overlooked element of an organization’s success is sharing of advice— information with guidance or recommendations. Advice is clearly beneficial to the individuals receiving the advice, who can use it and learn from it, and thus improve their performance; as such, advice is also clearly beneficial to the organization’s performance as whole. Yet many employees […]
Read More… from Why Employees Are Suspicious of Unsolicited Advice
Business projects, opportunities, or endeavours typically involve conjunctive risk—that is, the endeavour will succeed only if multiple, uncertain events occur. If just one of these required events fail to occur, the endeavour fails. For example, the success of a new product might depend on new technology and successful marketing. A technologically amazing product for which […]
Read More… from The Risk of Ignoring the Lesser Risk in Projects
Often treated as a joke or as a facetious explanation for unexpected behavior, the mid-life crisis is in fact real, according to a detailed report from a global team of researchers, and it is impacting the health and wellness of employees and business leaders in the most affluent countries. The research team reviewed numerous statistics […]
When we find ourselves in social situations that are unfamiliar, unsettling, or confusing, our tendency is not to react immediately, but rather to take a moment and think about what we want to do or say—that is, we appraise the situation to determine the appropriate behaviour in which to engage. As we appraise the situation, […]
Read More… from Don’t Let Employees Become Too Inhibited to Do the Right Thing
A manager overreacts to an employee’s minor mistake and yells at the employee in front of his peers. Afterwards, the manager feels some guilt about the outburst for several reasons: she generally strives to be supportive of her employees, the employee is usually very trustworthy, and the mistake was easily repaired. The manager apologizes to […]
Read More… from How Mindfulness Reduces Guilt… But Also Apologies
Your thoughts and feelings impact how you interpret what is happening around you. You might, for example, receive a vague email from your boss asking for a meeting. For hours, you stress about why he or she wants a meeting, imagining a variety of worst-case scenarios. In the end, the meeting is rather innocuous—no big […]
Read More… from Jumping to Conclusions and Other Bad Thinking Habits Hurt Leadership Effectiveness
