The Power of Positive Habits

Psychologists and neuroscientists say that building habits is our brain’s way of saving energy. Turning something into a habit or a routine allows our brains to run on autopilot, making us more efficient at important things, like, perhaps, survival. Because of this efficiency, we have become more resilient over time. You don’t brush and floss your teeth because you spend time scheduling those activities into your day, you just do it because they are habit. Because of that habit, your mouth is more resilient to the threat of tooth and gum disease. It’s just one of the amazing ways our brains have helped us along our evolutionary path.

Positive habits are those that make us healthier and happier people. For example, the above-mentioned dental care, quality sleep, healthy foods, or an exercise routine are just a few examples of these positive habits. Just as these habits make us more physically resilient to stress and sickness, there is an entire group of habits that help us mentally and emotionally. These can include a daily meditation practice, volunteer work, or connecting to our loved ones and fellow community members, and these are the habits that make us more emotionally resilient to the stress and craziness around us.

High-performance coach and author Brendon Burchard has a wealth of experience in teaching his clients just how important these habits are to our overall health and resilience in life. In his Positive Habits presentation, he teaches his GrowthDay crowd how strengthening our connections and our relationships is what will build us a strong enough foundation to weather the storms that are inevitably going to happen. Check out this brief and fun video for some tips on how to cultivate more resilience in your life.

Gender Equality in the Workplace

March is Women’s History Month, and one of the ways in which we can celebrate this is to honor the female trailblazers in the corporate world. Women like Estee Lauder, Coco Chanel, Katharine Graham, and Oprah Winfrey, made their way to the tops of their respective industries years ago, when women made up a very small fraction of C-suite leadership. Although that percentage has now grown, we have a long way to go before we achieve true gender equality in the workplace.

Despite the long road ahead, many in the business world feel optimistic about the future of gender equality. In the newest episode of Wharton’s podcast, the issue of equality in the workplace is on the table. As part of their Women in Leadership series, podcast host Dan Loney interviews Maurice Schweitzer about the long-held assumptions of gender norms and how they are changing. Side note: the irony of this discussion being held by two men is not lost on this blogger. It is, however, a very interesting and valuable conversation to listen to. Both discuss examples of inequality they’ve seen in the business world, and how we can all do our part to address these issues in the future. Give the new episode a listen here to see what has changed since the first women in c-suite leadership opened the doors for the next generations to come.

Leadership and the Big Game

Whether you’re a die-hard football fan, or just in it for the commercials, there’s a good chance you’ll be tuning into the Super Bowl this Sunday. In anticipation of the big game, Chief Executive Magazine has published an article featuring words of wisdom from former Super Bowl champ David Tyree on leadership, teamwork, and the infamous ‘helmet catch’.

During the leadup to Super Bowl XLII, Tyree and his NY Giants teammates had a practice session that did not bode well. With less than 24 hours left before they faced off against the New England Patriots, time was of the essence. After dropping ball after ball, Tyree dubbed it “the worst practice of my life.” What happened next changed Tyree’s entire outlook, and perhaps the outcome of the game. Tyree’s quarterback, Eli Manning, approached him after the disastrous practice and told him “I know you’ll be ready.” With these five simple words, Manning connected to Tyree on a level that allowed him to ‘reset’, and approach the game with renewed focus.

The Giants were trailing in the fourth quarter with less than 3 minutes remaining. Manning threw the ball to Tyree in a crucial play, who reached into the air, grabbed the ball, and pinned it to his helmet with one hand as he fell to the ground. The Giants went on to win the game, thanks to Tyree’s ability to make that amazing catch and keep the drive going. Between Manning’s leadership and his experiences both on and off the field, Tyree was inspired to found his own leadership development company, DT3 Enterprises. Check out the full article here for his advice on how leaders can connect with their teams in high pressure situations, so that everyone is at their best.

Connecting With Your Audience

Those in leadership can attest that on the whole, they love their jobs. Most of them, anyway. There are, however, certain tasks that fall to those at the helm that might not spark much joy. For many, public speaking and presentations are at the bottom of the list of things they enjoy. It simply doesn’t come naturally to everyone, and even seasoned professionals can have trouble really connecting with their audience. In steps a new article from Kellogg’s Insights blog to save the day. Michael Foley, Kellogg’s Clinical Assistant Professor and founder of Clarity Central, a consulting firm that specializes in communication skills, has some great tips on how presenters can do better.

Many leaders, states Foley, tend to use the same presentation over and over again, regardless of their audience. While this can lead to consistent expertise on the subject matter, it can also mean that certain audiences are bored half the time. Foley recommends asking yourself; “who is my audience?” and try to determine their motivations. For instance, entry-level recruits typically care more about workplace culture and advancement opportunities than compensation, while executive recruits’ concerns are typically the opposite. While this requires some work before hand, it’s worth it in the end. Spend some time researching how certain demographics respond to data and information in order to get the biggest return on your time.

Next, Foley recommends that presenters not rely wholly on either scripted notes or improvisation, but find a sweet spot in between. Reading directly from a script is too robotic for many audience members, making information seem cold and impersonal. On the flip side, winging it can make the presenter seem less prepared and less confident. Instead, aim to strike a balance. Here, Foley suggests using a 3x3 matrix: 3 main ideas supported by 2-3 subpoints, which are then supported by data, anecdotes, or examples.

Speaking of data, anecdotes, and examples, Foley’s next tip is to try and strike a balance between these supportive cases as well. Use a mix of both objective (data) and subjective (anecdotes) evidence to keep audiences engaged for the entire presentation. Objective evidence can help clarify context, while subjective evidence can provide connection.

Most importantly, says Foley, the goal should always be to educate the audience, not impress them. If a presenter’s goal is to impress or entertain, the focus is on them. Ultimately this can lead to nervousness on the part of the presenter, who is in danger of losing momentum. If the object is to educate, the focus remains on the audience. The presenter’s job is to teach them, therefore they are engaged with the audience throughout, with a more benevolent goal. Furthermore, Foley recommends practicing the presentation at least 4-5 times, ideally in front of a colleague. Check out the full article here for more examples on how to hit it out of the park the next time public speaking is on your calendar.

Working Smarter

We’ve all heard the adage “work smarter, not harder.” There is a lot to be gained from such a simple statement, but it’s not always easy to put it into practice. How, exactly, does a team go from inefficiency into maximizing the collective skills and intelligence each individual brings? This is the subject of Wharton’s newest Nano Tool for Leaders, featuring Wharton’s own Adam Grant. In it, Grant uses three simple steps to get your team to maximize each individual’s best assets.

First, says Grant, choose the correct leader. All too often the most confident one of the group gets put in charge, when actually this person is less likely to be able to inspire others to do their best work. Look for the person who puts the mission above ego. This may be the person pointing out the problems, not the one glossing over issues. Second, use Brainwriting, not Brainstorming. The difference, is that brainwriting is done solo, and brainstorming is done in a group setting. Studies have shown that the group setting can be intimidating for some team members, and in order to conform, some may not speak up with ideas that could ultimately benefit the business. Third, create a lattice hierarchy rather than a ladder or a matrix. While a ladder gives employees only one way to go in the case of problem-solving with higher-ups (and a matrix offers several bosses or managers), a lattice framework offers multiple paths of problem solving. With this framework, employees are encouraged to seek help both across levels and between teams, ultimately leading to a more diverse pool of ideas. Examples of this, plus real-world examples of how leaders use this tool can be found in the full article. Give it a read here, and see what Mr. Grant can do for you this week.

Maximizing Productivity Using Your Circadian Rhythm

This past Sunday marked the end of Daylight Savings Time in most states. For some, this means mourning the loss of the extra hour of daylight in the evening. For others, this means the celebration of light in the morning hours and a return to the internal clock (or circadian rhythm) that our evolutionary biology is attuned to. And yet for others who truly don’t care what the clock says, it just marks the artificial change in the time that leads to more heart attacks, strokes, and adverse health conditions for the population (despite where you may land on this issue, the science is clear; standard time is healthier for our bodies, and it’s not just about the changing of the clocks - sorry, DST lovers).

So now that we are back on Standard Time and our bodies are able to adjust to the natural circadian rhythm and amount of light this time of year, Wharton’s newest Nano Tool for Leaders has impeccable timing. This brief but powerful article teaches leaders how to harnesses the power of our internal clocks to become more productive in ways that make sense to our bodies.

Most of us go about our days largely on autopilot: check emails in the morning, schedule some meetings, check ins, followed by a mad dash to tie up any loose ends from the day. After years of following this model, these habits are hard to break. Time to reexamine these habits to see if they are leading to the most efficient work environment! Assuming a work day is eight hours long, this tool recommends dividing the day into four 2-hour segments to tackle different categories of work. These categories are:

• High Intensity/High Impact: solitary tasks that require a large amount of energy, brain power, and effort. Preparing a presentation, board details, etc. fall into this category.

• High Intensity/Low Impact: mentally demanding tasks that usually impact someone else’s day. This could be team check-ins, running a meeting, etc.

• Low Intensity/Low Impact: easy tasks that affect your workload and that of others; answering emails, or other things that are mainly done on autopilot.

• Low Intensity/High Impact: easy tasks that have a bigger impact on the day, such as planning and maintenance.

The creators of this Nano-Tool recommend sitting down and writing out all the tasks you are responsible for each week and dividing them into one of these four categories. Next, examine your energy levels throughout the day. Are you someone who likes to start the day slowly, with less demanding tasks scheduled for the morning while you sip your caffeine? Or are you an early bird go-getter who likes to manage the difficult tasks first so you can relax later? Depending on how your mental and physical energy levels wax and wane throughout the day, decide which order of things is best for you.

Each of us has our own particular cycles of energy throughout the day, depending on our sleep habits, what we eat, and the general demands of our lives outside of the office. This tool allows each leader to decide the pattern that best fits. Give the full article a read here for more information and real world examples of leaders putting this tool to use.

Connecting Employees to a Noble Purpose

In today’s business environment, it is more important than ever before to have a noble company purpose. Beyond simply making a profit and satisfying consumers, the companies that stick out and succeed today largely have a mission to do something good for the world. Hubert Joly, former CEO of Best Buy and senior lecturer at Harvard Business School has recently published an article on HBR.org detailing how best to connect every employee with your company’s purpose.

Joly believes that to find a company’s noble purpose, leadership must look to the intersection of the following four criteria:

• The human needs the company would like to address

• The company’s unique capabilities

• What the company’s employees are passionate about

• How the company can create economic value

Exploring these four areas isn’t as simple as a quick survey of the C-suite. Input and analysis must be gathered from every level of employee and and engage the broadest range to be effective and inspirational. For instance, when the Ralph Lauren Corporation was seeking to define their purpose, they conducted a year-long study in stores around the world from team members, customers, long-term employees, and of course, Ralph Lauren himself. The purpose that they were able to put into words after that year was “Inspiring the dream of a better life through authenticity and timeless style.”

Joly goes on to lay out a few points of advice for those in leadership looking to dive deeper into their own company’s inspirational purpose. First, he says, take it slow. Make sure the prerequisites to finding your purpose are in place before the process of discovery begins. If the foundation of the company is in tatters, fix those obstacles to success. Once the fundamentals are in place, only then should a company move forward on evaluating its goals.

Second, the company’s culture must support the purpose. Remember that actions speak louder than words and that every level of the company must reflect this inspiration. Here Joly uses the example of Microsoft since Satya Nadella has been at the helm. Transforming what was once a cut throat environment into a supportive and empathetic one has been a massive shift and didn’t happen overnight. Now meeting leaders end each session by asking the question: “was this a growth mindset meeting?” to get to the root of this mission.

The third and fourth points are intrinsically tied together. Joly suggests that leaders must translate the purpose from the abstract to the practical, while also keeping it simple. Spell it out in a few short sentences that really get to the heart of the issue. Starbucks has communicated their purpose by laying out each and every group they aim to support in their mission. From stakeholders to employees (called partners within their corporation), to customers, and perhaps most importantly, to the farmers who supply the coffee beans themselves. Starbucks has practical ways of connecting and uplifting each group.

And lastly, have human conversations. Joly describes the importance of what he calls “human magic”; when that purpose gets put to work in every employee. Everyone, regardless of rank, must have an emotional connection with their company’s purpose in order to put it into practice. When Joly was leading Best Buy, he used human stories as a connecting point for all team members. Employees were asked when they encountered an inspiring friend, and what it meant to them. Under the leadership of Joly’s predecessor, Corie Barry, some Best Buy employees were asked to share their experiences with their aging parents to highlight the company’s mission of supporting seniors using tech in their homes.

Narrowing in on a purpose can be a daunting task, and as Joly points out, the research on the subject is still relatively new. With his advice, however, leadership can begin the bottom up and inside out task of identifying what is great for their employees, their communities, and the global market beyond. Give this insightful article a read here for a deeper dive from Joly, and many more examples of what this process looks like in practice.

What Leadership Can Learn From Uncertainty

There are several well-known military acronyms that have entered the civilian vernacular. FUBAR is likely the most famous, with FARP and BOHICA following closely behind (worth a Google if you’re unfamiliar with any of them). One that is less well-known but highly important, is VUCA. Coined in the late 1980s, VUCA stands for: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. For those in leadership, these are the well-known disruptors of work life. When the landscape is changing rapidly, data is either overwhelming or insufficient, processes are overly complicated, and trends are difficult to spot, leading a team can feel like a rollercoaster ride. The U.S. Military, specifically the Army War College, has been studying this for many years, and recently, Angus Fletcher, Thomas L. Gaines, Brittany Loney at Harvard Business Review took the research one step further. Working with the U.S. Army Special Operations, these three developed brain-training exercises for leaders to be better equipped during uncertain or volatile times.

The first challenge for leaders in uncertain times is managing data. More data does not mean better decision making. When the road is rocky, an overabundance of data leads to “passivity, mission creep, and hesitation”, according to the authors. They recommend targeting “exceptional information”, or that which is the exception to the rule. Interestingly, in the age of AI we are in, this ability is particular to the human brain. Computers have no ability to weed out the exceptional information during data overwhelm.

The second recommendation is to forego active listening, and embrace active questioning. Of course, active listening still has it’s place in times of smooth sailing, but in rough waters, delay asking the Why. Focus instead on the who, what, when, where and how. Recently the designers of these brain training tools worked with a Fortune 50 company that was losing talent. When asked why they were leaving, these employees always responded the same way: money. Upping the retention offers had no effect, however, so they had to look elsewhere. When they started asking deeper questions about employee’s overall satisfaction in life, they were able to make retention offers that really struck home, and employees stuck around.

Third, don’t plan; instead, be a planner. President Eisenhower once told an audience that “The reason it is so important to plan is to keep yourselves steeped in the character of the problem that you may one day be called upon to solve.” The actual solutions that Eisenhower and others came up during his military tenure ended up being useless. But the process of planning kept them so on target that they were truly ready for anything.

Fourth, use “Emotion Reset” when fear or anger arise. Although these are often considered to be “negative emotions”, from an evolutionary standpoint they kept humans alive by allowing the flight or fight response to activate in our bodies and brains. With the emotion reset technique, leaders are asked to recall a time when either fear or anger arose, and to remember what they did. The idea is to send our brains the message: “You’ve done this before”. This will immediately take us out of the flight or fight response, making it possible for rational thought and calm decision making to prevail.

Since none of us can predict the future, these tools have the potential to greatly assist leadership through volatile times. Do yourself a favor and read the full article here, then send it to all the other leaders you know.

Mandy Hickson on Being a Better Leader

Mandy Hickson knows a thing or two about leadership. As one of the first female pilots in the UK’s RAF, she has had to prove herself time and again. Hickson did so exceptionally, flying in the Tornado GR4, and patrolling no-fly zones over Iraq. In her three tours of duty, she was one of the only female pilots the entire time she served. During her time in the RAF she learned about leading with integrity, about overcoming challenges, and about how all of us have to first fail in order to succeed. She will be featured later this month at Chief Executive Magazine’s ongoing Masterclass series about Women in Leadership, so she recently sat down with them for an interview.

Hickson first discovered her love of flying at age 14, when the RAF still didn’t allow women to join. Despite this, Hickson had made up her mind. She finished school and enrolled at a university, all the while dreaming of a career that she wasn’t allowed into. Then, in the early 1990s, that finally changed. When she was 17 years old, she received a flight scholarship. After a successful career in the RAF she went on to volunteering with the cadets, a program to introduce flight programs to teens. It was there that she realized her ultimate calling; to become a business coach specializing in human performance factors. Hickson uses her history in high-pressure, high-performance situations and coaches leadership to minimize human error, minimize burnout, and minimize stress, all while maximizing communication, maximizing decision-making skills, and maximizing fulfillment. Which, coincidentally, also makes for a very safe flying environment.

Side note: If you want to learn more about Hickson and other women in leadership, check out Chief Executive Magazine’s Women in Leadership series. Their next event is coming up on September 27th (streaming live). Or check out her book, An Officer Not a Gentleman, the inspiring story of how her determination led to achieving a dream that almost never happened.

Avoiding Burnout While Growing as a Leader

It’s safe to say that one of the only traits common to all leaders is a lifelong love of learning and growth. No matter what myriad of differences separates them, everyone in leadership wants to learn more and be a better leader. One of the reasons why groups such as Vistage exist is that our members are so committed to this growth, both as individuals and as leaders. Unfortunately, another trait that some leaders have is enthusiasm that can lead to being spread too thin (and that’s why it’s so important to have a great coach!). Kellogg’s own Senior Fellow and coach Sanjay Khosla has published a fantastic and coach-approved article on how to strive for this growth without coming to the end of one’s proverbial rope.

According to Khosla, it’s as simple as strategic thinking and a quick, five-step process. First and foremost; know yourself. Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses, ask for feedback from colleagues (and be willing to accept constructive criticism), and be ready to work on areas where growth is needed. Second, manage your energy. Sit down and examine the calendar from the past few months. If more time is being spent in meetings or managing tasks than is warranted, think strategically about how that time could be better spent. Could things be delegated? Could scheduled meetings actually be resolved over a few simple emails? Khosla calls this an “energy audit”, and it is vital in reclaiming time.

Third on this list; pick focus areas. Khosla recommends listing priorities, and interestingly he insists that the first priority of his coaching clients be non-work related. Family or a hobby should come first in order to maintain a work-life balance. Fourth, build a circle of influence. Think about areas that need strengthening and who might best help along the way. Stay in touch with these individuals and be willing to be that person as well. And lastly, choose how you show up. Khosla advises his coaching clients to examine how they present themselves and their information to others. Whether during a meeting or at a big event, he says to think about the information from the audience’s point of view, and how they may want to digest the topic. Keeping the audience engaged is vital to remaining passionate about the subject one wants to learn. If an audience is bored to tears, the presenter may not be inspired to return to that subject, even though it may be an important one. Read the full article here for Khosla’s tips on continued growth while not burning out.