OK, you’re a smart person. Really smart. Earlier, during your education and your career, your “smarts” were both reinforced and rewarded. Good for you! You’ve done well. There is a pattern of behaviors for people like you (smart and successful) that you should be aware of: you may be adding too much value by overusing [...]
I won’t say I’ve heard it all, but I have heard a lot when it comes to “Why I don’t give much praise.” It’s interesting that praise (positive reinforcement for behavior/results that you want repeated) works and is free, but some still resist. Here are a few examples of the “logic” involved: The Excuses The [...]
Solid self-esteem does not negate the need for outside affirmation and praise. It’s the feel-good reward for the do-good activities and results. Affirmation is asserting the truth or existence of something. Praise is an expression of approval and commendation. The nexus of these two involves truth-telling approval and favorable expression about something another person has [...]
One of the secrets to human performance is hidden in plain sight. That is, most don’t see it or they ignore it. The amazing part is that it’s free and it works. Here’s the secret: in a given role, people deliver their best performance when they feel valued and respected, no matter what the conditions. [...]
Of course I remember you! You were that wunderkind in your early work days who plowed through tasks and got things done at an amazing pace. As an individual producer, you stood out among your peers. While you were a little narcissistic we looked past that back then. You later learned how to see the [...]
The previous post, and the one before that, demonstrated that the unrealized act of self-deception is one of the largest factors undermining relationships, teamwork, and performance. Self-deception puts us in a box that blinds us to the true cause of problems and leads us to focus on symptoms. Therefore, most “solutions” actually make matters worse. [...]
In my last post we looked at how self-deception can put us “in a box” and literally keep us from “thinking outside the box.” When we betray ourselves we seek to justify ourselves. We tell ourselves a story in which the wrong we are doing appears right, or at least not our fault. As part [...]
Most don’t. Oh, it's not because they’re not smart or that opportunities don’t abound. It’s not even because teachers, consultants and the like aren’t overflowing with lists, how-to’s, and tricks designed to “expand” our thinking beyond box boundaries. It’s because we’ve made the thing all about problem-solving or creativity and the like. The language has gotten [...]
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. was the eldest son of President Teddy Roosevelt and Edith Roosevelt. Ted, as he was often called, had served in WWI on the front lines and again in WWII as Brigadier General. He volunteered and was the first general to hit the beach on D-Day even though he was in his mid-50s, [...]
