Category: Leadership Tips HBR

Best Leaders Keep an Open Mind

Leadership Tip of the week #5

adapted from Harvard Business Review

We often think of great leaders as having the conviction of their beliefs—they’re not pushovers. But the most successful leaders actually show a willingness to be persuaded. How can you do this, particularly on issues where you’re not objective?

• Keep your hand on the dial. When debating a decision, envision turning a dial: all the way to the right represents absolute certainty, and all the way to the left signifies none.
• Recall a moment of opacity, when you couldn’t see a situation clearly, or when something you were so sure was right turned out to be wrong. Whenever you’re feeling overly confident, remind yourself of that moment, and seek counsel.
• Kill your darlings. It can be tough to change your mind about long-held beliefs. But the quicker you acknowledge that an idea (even a beloved one) is unworkable, the sooner you’ll move on to the right course of action.

Adapted from “The Best Leaders Allow Themselves to Be Persuaded,” by Al Pittampalli

Leadership Tip of the week#4

Adapted from Harvard Business Review

Good leaders put aside their own needs for the good of the organization — but that doesn’t mean they completely sacrifice their personal lives.

Leaders who subjugate their need for exercise, sleep, and recreation eventually succumb to brownout: the graduated loss of energy, focus, and passion.

Burnout is often imperceptible to outsiders, but it affects a significant percentage of the executive population.

Today’s superstar leaders supplement their commitment to others with an equally important commitment to themselves. Whether it’s promising you’ll stick to your exercise routine, enjoy hobbies, eat dinner with your family, or reflect on what’s important to you, putting aside time for yourself makes you a better, more fully realized version of yourself.

Start by making one small but meaningful promise to yourself — and keep it.

If you’re successful, try another promise. It shouldn’t take long for the performance benefits to be obvious.

Adapted from “Treat Promises to Yourself as Seriously as Promises to Others,” by Michael E. Kibler

Leadership Tip of the week #1

adapted from Harvard Business Review

Over the course of a typical workday, negative and positive things inevitably happen — and many people focus mainly, or exclusively, on the negative ones.

But research has found that even small positive experiences are a valuable resource for reducing stress.

When people spend time thinking about what went well that day, their mental and physical stress levels decrease by small but significant amounts, and they have an easier time detaching from work.

Thinking positively doesn’t come naturally for most people:

We’re attuned to paying attention to negative things, which makes it hard to notice positive ones.

So instead of ruminating on negative events, make time to relive, enjoy, and share the positive events of your day.

Doing so creates bonds with other people and reduces evening stress, improving your sleep — and the better alertness and mood that result can lead to more positive things happening tomorrow.

Adapted from “The Powerful Effect of Noticing Good Things at Work,” by Joyce E. Bono and Theresa M. Glomb

Set the Right Conditions for Creativity

Leadership Tip of the Week #2

adapted from HBR

There isn’t a magic formula for how to be more creative.

But you can deliberately craft the right environment for optimal brain health, which in turn makes it more likely for you to experience artistic inspiration or have that “Eureka” moment.

Start by taking better care of yourself, which means sleeping more (at least 7–9 hours), eating a well-balanced diet, and getting plenty of exercise — the basics for brain functioning.

You should also force yourself to take time to think and reflect.

Try a mindfulness course or some breathing exercises to reduce stress, stop fretting about your deficiencies and failures, and focus on what makes you happy at work.

The positive emotions that are generated when you feel connected to your personal and organizational purpose will help you think more clearly — and more creatively.

Adapted from “How to Free Your Innate Creativity,” by Annie McKee