Curious Minds at Work

When you think about courage at work, what comes to mind? Most of us think of the whistleblowers, the people who speak out on illegal corporate practices.

Yet many who succeed in changing the workplace, do so on a smaller scale. They push back on sexist comments. Point out bias in hiring. Or challenge unequal promotion practices. Each is an example of courage at work, and it’s a form of courage most of us say we want to see.

But research shows many of us don't exercise this kind of courage, even though staying silent is something we regret. So how can we overcome our fears and do what’s needed to create workplaces aligned with our values?

Jim Detert tells us how. He’s a Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. After years of studying workplace courage, he knows the steps we can take to do so without jeopardizing our jobs. And he shares these steps in this interview and in his book, Choosing Courage: The Everyday Guide to Being Brave at Work.

Episode Links

Winfred Rembert

Stuart Scott

Climbing the Courage Ladder

The Importance of Courage

Cultivating Everyday Courage

The Temporal Pattern to the Experience of Regret

Sir Walter Scott

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

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Think of your family, your friends, and your colleagues. In each of these relationships, you can expect to experience conflict from time to time. Sometimes, it's unhealthy conflict that harms our relationships. Other times, it's healthy conflict that strengthens them.

High conflict is something different. It happens when we view the conflict as good versus evil. It's when the walls go up. When it's about us versus them. Right versus wrong. We double down on our assumptions, maybe about people we don't even know. Ultimately, we get stuck. It's a volatile place, and a dangerous one, because it's often just a step away from dehumanization.

My guest, Amanda Ripley, spent four years studying this conflict. She's an investigative journalist and author of the book, High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out. Amanda interviewed ordinary people who got caught up in high conflict, and, with effort and commitment, managed to break free. Through their stories, she explains what conflict is, how we get sucked into it, and, most importantly, how we move through it.

Amanda is author of the books, The Smartest Kids in the World and Unthinkable. She writes regularly for The Atlantic and spent a decade writing for Time Magazine. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian. 

Episode Links

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Mark Lynas

Gary Friedman

More in Common 

Baha i Faith

Losing Common Ground: Social Sorting and Polarization

Kim Binsted

Curtis Toler and Team CRED

John and Julie Gottman

The Difficult Conversations Lab and Peter Coleman

Ranked-choice Voting

22 Questions that 'Complicate the Narrative'

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

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If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show.

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I've got a riddle for you. What do we need to get better at our jobs? To maintain relationships with family and friends? To find our keys?

The answer is memory. 

Yet when it comes to what it is and how to get the most out of it, we may not know as much as we'd like. And that's too bad, because knowing even a little about how our memory works can give us a lot, including peace of mind.

That's what made me pick up Lisa Genova's latest book, Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting. Lisa's a Ph.D. neuroscientist and bestselling author of the book, Still Alice, which was adapted into an Oscar-winning film. Remember is an incredible resource that combines the science of memory with the compelling storytelling she's known for.

Episode Links

Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing by Jacob Goldstein

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Automaticity

Semantic memory

Episodic memory

Prospective memory

A Powerful Way to Improve Memory and Learning

The Science of Learning to Learn and Self-Testing

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer

Method of Loci or Memory Palace

Phantom Flashbulbs: False Recollections of Hearing the News about Challenger

The Neuroscience of Memory: Implications for the Courtroom

Elizabeth Loftus

Forgetting is Part of Remembering

He Ate All the Pi: Japanese Man Memorizes Pi to 111,700 Digits

Learning and Memory Under Stress

The Impact of Sleep on Learning and Memory and About Sleep's Role in Memory

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

How to Support the Podcast

If you'd like to support the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show.

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Change happens through action. For example, if we want to solve the hunger problem in our local community, we donate to a food drive. We volunteer at a food bank. We do things that solve the problem.

But often the hurdle to taking action is knowing what action to take. Research shows that bystanders are often unsure of what to do. And when they don't know what to do, they tend to do nothing.

That's why I wanted to talk to David Smith and Brad Johnson about their book, Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. Brad and David share specific steps individuals and organizations can take to support women in the workplace. It's a male ally playbook.

And a playbook is desperately needed. One of the biggest workplace challenges today is how few women, particularly women of color, hold leadership roles. Though women make up nearly 50 percent of the workforce, in 2020, they held only 38 percent of managerial positions, 33 percent of senior manager/director roles and 21 percent of C-suite titles. 

David is a professor of sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College. Brad is a professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law at the U.S. Naval Academy and a faculty associate in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. 

Episode Links

Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong

Structured exposure 30-5-1

The invisible knapsack

Impostor Syndrome

Let's Talk by Therese Huston

Athena Rising by W. Brad Johnson and David G. Smith

Bystander effect

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

How to Support the Podcast

If you'd like to support the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show.

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Most of us have a voice in our heads. On some days, it builds our confidence. On others, it tears us down. 

Our inner voice is an invisible force that has a big effect on our work and our lives.

I've often been curious about this voice. What shapes it? What makes it louder? If we understood it better, could we get it to work for us, rather than against us?

Ethan Kross has spent the bulk of his career studying the power and perils of this voice. He's an award-winning psychology professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. His enlightening book on the topic is, Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It. 

What his research reveals is that there are simple things we can do to amplify the positive aspects of our inner voice. Equally important, there are things we can do to quiet the chatter - ways we can turn down the volume on self-talk that works against us.

Episode Links

Brood X

Andrew Irving

My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor

Rick Ankiel

Analysis paralysis

Simone Biles

Solomon's Paradox

Fred Rogers

The Toolbox Project

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

How to Support Us

If you'd like to support the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the podcast.

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For many of us, public speaking creates a lot of anxiety. And like all phobias, it comes at a cost. Researchers have linked a fear of public speaking to lower college graduation rates, lower wages, and fewer promotions.

But I think the biggest price we pay is the loss of our voice. It robs us of the ability to share our ideas. And it diminishes an important way for us to have an impact on the world.

I've known this was a topic I wanted to discuss on the podcast, but the challenge has been finding the right author. So I was thrilled when I came across John Bowe's book, I Have Something to Say: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking in an Age of Disconnection. I saw how John was coming at the topic in a completely different way, and it moved me.

First, he shares in a very vulnerable and, I think, courageous way, his own experience of learning public speaking skills.

Second, he delves into the history of public speaking, taking us back to ancient Greece and the important role public speaking played in people's lives.

Third, he describes what it was like for him to learn these skills at Toastmasters, the nonprofit that operates public speaking clubs around the globe.

I'll admit that this final point really sealed the deal. I'm a big fan of Toastmasters. I've been a member and, from the first time I attended one of their meetings, I was not only impressed by how they teach public speaking, but I was wowed by the dedication of the people who join.

John Bowe has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, GQ, This American Life, McSweeney's, and more. He is the author of Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy, editor of Us: Americans Talk about Love, and co-editor of Gig: Americans Talk about Their Jobs.

Episode Links

A World on the Wing by Scott Weidensaul

Toastmasters history

A Brief History of Public Speaking

Quiet by Susan Cain

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

How to Support Us

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A hundred years ago, if you asked someone about burnout, they wouldn't know what you were talking about. Fast forward to today and there's a good chance they'd say they've experienced it.

Burnout's a term psychologist Herbert Freudenberger popularized in the 1970s. He used it to describe the experience of doctors and nurses exposed to long periods of stress and overwork. Over the past 20 years, use of the term has expanded to include people in other industries and roles. And today, during the pandemic, it's become an everyday reference.

But just because we know what burnout is, or what it feels like, doesn't mean we know what to do about it. And the advice we often get to "work less" or "have more fun" seems a little too simple. Too binary.

That's where the Nagoski sisters come in. My guest, Amelia, and her sibling, Emily, are co-authors of the book, Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. It's a book filled with remarkable insights. One of the central ones is this: while we often associate stress with burnout, we're unclear on the relationship between them.

Amelia and Emily explain that most stress isn't the problem. Instead, it's the stress cycle that kicks in when we don't work through the emotions that accompany our stress. That's the problem. And it's what leads to burnout. Fortunately, in this interview, Amelia not only walks us through the stress cycle, she also explains what we can do to break it. Equally important, she discusses how to avoid it in the first place.

Amelia Nagoski holds a doctorate in musical arts and is an Assistant Professor at Western New England University. Her co-author and sister, Emily Nagoski, holds a doctorate in health behavior and is an award-winning author of the bestselling book, Come as You Are.

Episode Links

The World: A Brief Introduction by Richard Haas

Down Girl by Kate Manne

Cognitive Reappraisal and Acceptance: Effects on Emotion, Physiology, and Perceived Cognitive Costs

Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality

Requiem by Andrew Lloyd Webber

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

How to Support Us

If you'd like to support the show, please rate and review us on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show.

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Most of us are hungry for feedback. Whether it's from bosses, teachers, family, or friends, we know it's the key to getting better. And the research supports this: frequent, effective feedback improves our motivation and our performance.

Yet, when we become managers, we often forget this lesson, which means most of the people we manage don't get enough feedback. And it's not because we don't think it helps. It's often because we're afraid. We worry about hurting people's feelings, demotivating them, or creating conflict.

That's why I wanted to read Therese Huston's latest book, Let's Talk: Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower. What I like about her approach is how she humanizes feedback. She asks us to think about our goals. Why are we sharing this feedback, with this particular person, at this time? Then she asks us to think about what's in it for them to receive our feedback.

The result is a genuine conversation. It starts with us sharing why we care about their growth and development. It continues with us sharing the challenge or gap as we see it. Then it means listening to understand their point of view, so that we can work together on a solution.

Approaching feedback this way can break down barriers. It can also help us overcome our hesitation. Ultimately, it can lead to stronger relationships and higher quality work. 

Therese was the founding director of the Center for Faculty Development at Seattle University. She's written for The New York Times and Harvard Business Review. I spoke to Therese on the podcast about her previous book, How Women Decide.

Episode Links

Avraham N. Kluger

Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman

Nine Lies about Work by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall

The Ideal Praise-to-Criticism Ratio by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman

The Progress Principle by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer

The 1, 2, 3 Newsletter

6 Things Employees Want to Hear from Their Bosses

The Little Things that Make Employees Feel Appreciated by Kerry Roberts Gibson, Kate O'Leary, and Joseph R. Weintraub

Research: Men Get More Actionable Feedback Than Women by Elena Doldor, Madeleine Wyatt, and Jo Silvester

Why Most Performance Evaluations are Biased and How to Fix Them by Lori Nishiura Mackenzie, JoAnne Wehner, Shelley J. Correll

Shelley Correll

Katherine Hilton and Stanford Researcher Examines How People Perceive Interruptions in Conversation 

Michael Bungay Stanier

Crucial Conversations

Our Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

How to Support Us

If you'd like to support the show, please rate and review us on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show.

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I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for brain science. I love learning new things about how our brains work and how to get the most out of this amazing organ. That means I'm always scanning for my next book on the topic. And, when I find it, I'm usually placing an order before I've made it through the table of contents.

With this week's guest, I barely glanced at her book's title before I clicked "buy." That's because the author is the incredible neuroscientist, Lisa Feldman Barrett. Last time she was on the show, we talked about her mind-blowing book, How Emotions are Made. I learned how her research has led to a complete rethinking of, well, how emotions are made.

In this conversation, we talk about her newest book, Seven and a Half Lessons about the Brain.

At first glance, you might think, what does this have to do with my work? The short answer is . . . everything. What you'll learn about your brain will change how you structure your day and, on an even bigger scale, how you interact with other people.

This is a book to savor. It's enlightening. Insightful. And it's downright enjoyable. In fact, you may want to read it in bite-size chunks, like one chapter at a time, because it's a book you may not want to finish too quickly. It's just too good.

Lisa Feldman Barrett is an award-winning Professor of Neuroscience at Northeastern University. She has appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.

I'm thrilled to have her back on the show.

One quick ask before the interview - if you enjoy the podcast, I'd be grateful if you'd take a moment to rate and review the show on iTunes or wherever you subscribe. The team works hard to produce the podcast - and to keep it commercial free -- and it means a lot for us to know that you enjoy it. Speaking of brain science - a positive rating or review gives us the dopamine hits we need to keep on going.

Episode Links

Lisa Feldman Barrett's Extended Notes for Seven and a Half Lessons about the Brain

The Accidental Species by Henry Gee

The Rationality of Decisions Depends on Behavioural Context

Tuning and Pruning

Cultural Inheritance

Reverse inference problem

The Remembered Presence by Gerald Edelman

Himba people

Hadza people

Why We Want to Squeeze Cute, Little Things

Wired to Wonder by Todd Kashdan

Gray Malin

Curious Minds at Work Team

Learn more about creator and host, Gayle Allen, and producer and editor, Rob Mancabelli, here.

Support Curious Minds at Work

If you're a fan of the show, show your support by:

Rating and reviewing the podcast on iTunes or wherever you subscribe

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For a good part of my life, I believed that focusing on my weaknesses was the key to achieving success. In fact, I didn't realize how much I'd embraced this way of thinking until I began working with an executive coach.

Soon after we started working together, my coach made an observation I've never forgotten. She said, "Gayle, you're great at pointing out your weaknesses - all the ways you feel you don't measure up - but I never hear you talk about your strengths." That's when I realized how this way of thinking had become my default setting. I had to work hard to change it.

That's why, when I picked up Dan Cable's latest book, Exceptional: Build Your Personal Highlight Reel and Unlock Your Potential, I knew I wanted to have him back on the show. He captured my old way of thinking with his first sentence, "Many of us think the best path to self-improvement is to face the cold truth about ourselves at our worst."

Yet, what Dan quickly points out is that, far from motivating us, this relentless focus on identifying and fixing our weaknesses can create a lot of anxiety, along with feelings of overwhelm, even helplessness. That sounds like a far cry from a path to success, right?

Dan's a Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School. Since his last book, Alive at Work, he's been studying what happens when we uncover our strengths through others' eyes, through current and former colleagues, bosses, friends, and family members. Dan's approach is fascinating and his research findings are incredible.

Episode Links

You Need a Personal Highlight Reel by Dan Cable

What You Should Follow Instead of Your Passion by Dan Cable

Stop Sleepwalking through Life by Dan Cable and Mel Bradman

Alive at Work by Dan Cable

Post-traumatic growth

What Job Crafting Looks Like by Jane E. Dutton and Amy Wrzesniewski

Impostor Syndrome

Curious Minds at Work

Learn more about creator and host, Gayle Allen, and producer and editor, Rob Mancabelli, here.

Support Curious Minds at Work

If you're a fan of the show, you can show your support by:

Rating and reviewing the podcast on iTunes or wherever you subscribe.

Telling someone about the show.

Subscribing so you never miss an episode.

Where to Find Curious Minds at Work

Spotify

iTunes

Tunein

Stitcher

Google podcasts

Overcast