Whitepapers

“Can you get that to me by the end of the day?” isn’t a request many employees like to hear. But for many people, having shorter deadlines instead of longer ones — “Do you think you can do that by the end of the week?” — might actually help them complete a task and see their work as being less difficult. In a recent study published in the Journal of…

One of the things I notice and appreciate most in an employee is a consideration and a strong sense of ownership. It can be truly day-making when I see one of my employees stay late to help when their colleagues are buried in work, or when I’m sitting in on a call to find that the participants have clearly prepared and put in a significant effort. Having worked in the service industry my…

The pandemic has made us weary, and while it might be cathartic to make a list of all we’ve lost, all we’re tired of and all we want to leave behind, expressing gratitude is actually a better idea. Gratitude is a powerful positive force. Far from a fluffy or frivolous concept, it has real impact on physical health, emotional wellbeing, motivation, engagement and belonging. Here’s…

“If we don’t see improvement in this tooth pocket at next year’s cleaning appointment, we’ll have to do an expensive procedure to address it. I recommend you floss daily.” The dentist’s dire directive spurred me to start a daily flossing practice I’d been halfheartedly trying to institute for the past 30 years. We know the healthy habits that will help…

“I hate networking.” We hear this all the time from executives, other professionals, and MBA students. They tell us that networking makes them feel uncomfortable and phony—even dirty. Although some people have a natural passion for it—namely, the extroverts who love and thrive on social interaction—many understandably see it as brown-nosing, exploitative, and inauthentic. But…