Lead From the Heart

There’s a longstanding taboo against displaying emotions in the workplace – and it’s based on the idea that we make our best business decisions when we keep feelings and intuition out of the mix.

But the time has come for us to directly question these longstanding beliefs about human effectiveness – and challenge the notion that any of us has ever really possessed the ability to shut down our emotions at the turn of a switch – and operate our lives with pure rationality.

The truth of the matter is that feelings hold sway over us all the time, and that emotional dynamics directly affect our behavior, communication and decisions whether we’re aware of them or not. Research now proves we’re far more effective in our lives and careers when we leverage them to our advantage.

This podcast episode is dedicated to introducing you to some of the emerging research which proves human beings were designed to rely on both their minds and their hearts – and to explain ways you can apply this knowledge in our own life, and to your leadership of others.

Along with, Mollie West Duffy, podcast guest Liz Fosslien is the co-author of the new book, “No Hard Feelings,” a treatise on how to tap into one’s emotions to build a far more successful life and career.  And as an indication that there’s suddenly a lot of interest in bringing emotions into the spotlight, their book has received effusive praise from bestselling authors, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, Laszlo Bock and recent podcast guest, Chip Conley.  Fortune Magazine named it one of the “10 Best Business Books Of 2019.

Harvard Business School professor, Bill George has said that what gets taught in the world’s top MBA programs today is 95% intellectual and just 5% emotional – a profound mistake he believes in how we prepare the workplace’s future senior leaders.  To his point, Liz and Mollie assert that “The Future Is Emotional,” and this podcast will surely help you successfully pivot into that new brave world.

The post Liz Fosslien: The Future Is Emotional appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

If you’d invested $1,000 in Netflix stock just a dozen years ago, you’d have $90,000 today – quite an extraordinary return from a company that fearlessly took on the Goliath, Blockbuster Video, and won – and today has 137 million customers worldwide.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Netflix was shipping out a million DVD envelopes per day to its customers. But in a deft display of risk-taking and innovation, they pivoted away from DVDs and into on-line streaming. On top of that, they launched a production unit that developed the film, “Roma” nominated this year for the Academy Awards’ “Best Picture.”

So how is it that any one company string together so many consistent wins in a row?  What kind of organizational culture could repeatedly evolve to seize every key opportunity they faced?

As you’re about to hear from Netflix’s long-time Chief Talent Officer, Patty McCord, all of these achievements flowed from her company’s decision to implement a set of leadership practices that intentionally defied convention.

In Patty’s new book, “Powerful: Building A Culture Of Freedom & Responsibility” (one of the Business Insider’s best business books of 2018), she describes the key elements of Netflix’s high performance culture.  While admitting that some of her company’s practices might not be a fit for every company, the key take-away from this interview is there are more things you’ll want to adopt than not.

A truly electric and inspiring conversation that will challenge many of your assumptions about effective workplace management.

The post Patty McCord: Parting Ways With Traditional Leadership Rules Is How Netflix Built It’s Hugely Successful Culture appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

With people living longer than ever – and therefore wanting to work longer – a big question many workplace leaders are asking themselves today is whether workers in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s can remain relevant in our rapidly changing digital world.

If you have even a tinge of gray in your hair, you’ll be pleased to know that many companies are coming to realize that qualities that only come with age – i.e. humility, emotional intelligence and wisdom – are in short supply in many of their units. And so, they’ve begun re-embracing their older and more experienced employees who often possess them.

For the first time in history, we have five different generations working together in organizations – and few of us have experience in melding people of wildly different ages & mindsets into cohesive teams. And with unemployment at record lows across the globe, organizational success has suddenly become dependent upon our making multigenerational teams come together as one.

Few people can help us navigate this new world order than Chip Conley.  After selling the boutique hotel management company he founded and managed for 24 years (Joie-de-Vivre Hospitality), he was faced with securing a new career.  And after receiving a call from Airbnb’s 31-year-old co-founder and CEO, Brian Cheskey, he accepted a role as Airbnb’s “Head Of Global Hospitality and moved to Silicon Valley.

But on day one, he realized he was knee-deep in foreign waters. His boss was young enough to be his son – and his co-workers were all even younger – 20-something tech geniuses with whom he had almost nothing in common.

As Chip details in his new book, “Wisdom At Work – The Making Of A Modern Elder” (and in our discussion), it took some time to find his sea legs before he realized the profound influence he could have by mentoring Airbnb’s young team.  And over the next four years, he also discovered the most successful ways of bringing young and old workers together for the benefit of the organization – and for the well-being of everyone involved.

In just a few years, half of all workers will have someone younger than them as their boss. And whichever side of the equation you’ll be on come then, you’ll need solid guidance on how to make that relationship succeed.

Providing you with this insight is the focus of this wonderful chat with Chip Conley.

The post Chip Conley: How To Create A Thriving Multi-Generational Workplace appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

Not since 1974 when Studs Terkel published his groundbreaking book, “Working,”has anyone performed a deep dive into the modern-day work experience.

But with automation and digitalization poised to radically change our workplaces in the very near future – along with the jobs we all do – Boston University journalism professor, Ellen Rupell Shell spent the past eight years researching all the ways our careers are likely to be disrupted, and how we can emerge on the other side of it with work that inspires and sustains us.

“Work is essential for human beings to flourish,” writes Shell in her New York Times bestselling book, “The Job: Work And It’s Future In A Time Of Radical Change.” “It gives our lives meaning, purpose, identity and status.”  But at a time when McKinsey predicts that one-third of all blue and white-collar jobs will be gone in the next 20 years, public policy isn’t yet oriented toward ensuring that everyone who wants to continue working will remain able to support themselves and their families.

So what course corrections do we need to make? How can we sustain our own career viability in light of unparalleled technological change? What skills will emerge as most essential in the new economy? Can there really be a happy ending?

These are critically important questions all of us should now be asking – and tied to Shell’s remarkably broad research, she’s able to provide many unexpected yet insightful answers. Not just intended for leaders and managers, this is a podcast that holds great benefits for us all.

The post Ellen Ruppel Shell: How To Sustain Your Career Once Technology Changes Or Eliminates Your Job appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

HOW DOES A LEADER TAKE THEIR TEAM FROM GOOD TO GREAT?

Georgetown University business school professor, Christine Porath says we won’t make that leap until we address the incivility that’s taken over our workplaces.

In preparing for her recent TED Talk that’s had nearly one million views so far, Dr. Porath asked 20,000 employees around the world what they most wanted from their leaders today. The number one answer was “respect.”

A lack of civility has come to characterize most of our experiences at work – so much so that we now just assume it comes with the territory. But the reason we must now confront incivility is because it’s proven to do great harm to people not to mention organization’s bottom lines.

Dr. Porath’s research shows that incivility is highly contagious. It makes people less motivated, instantaneously less engaged – and deeply resentful. And 12% of workers who feel slighted or disrespected in their jobs end up quitting.

In this inspiring conversation, we explore the reasons why curt, rude and unkind behavior has become so prevalent in business today, and discuss the surprisingly simple ways managers and companies can restore a more humane culture.

If there’s one key take-away from this podcast episode, it’s that civility lifts people.  Leaders can therefore achieve so much more by ensuring their teams’ culture delivers what employees around the world today are clamoring for: a highly respectful place in which to work.

Please listen in!

The post Dr. Christine Porath: Workplace Incivility Requires A Leadership Fix appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

Is it possible that you have a pattern of behavior or a personality trait that greatly limits your effectiveness as a person and as a leader?

Could you have an unconscious way of acting – particularly under stress – that unwittingly thwarts your dreams of moving up the ladder?

If you consider yourself part of the human species, it’s almost guaranteed that you’re doing at least one thing that undermines your true greatness as a manager. So the goal for this podcast is to help you discover what your personal derailleurs might be, and to learn how to lessen their negative impacts.

Few people are better qualified to provide insight and advice on this topic than our guest, Dr. David Dotlich.

A certified psychologist in career development and life planning, he’s been named one of the Top 50 Coaches In America – he’s also co-written 12 best-selling leadership books including the one we  discuss in great detail on the podcast:

“Why CEOs Fail” The 11 Behaviors That Can Derail Your Climb To The Top – And How To Manage Them.”

Today, David is President of Pivot Leadership – a consulting firm he started and later sold to Korn Ferry. He advises CEOs and Corporate Boards, and his list of clients includes Walmart, Nike, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Aetna and Best Buy.

Amongst his many prestigious former roles, David was a founding partner of CDR International which was later acquired by Marsh McLennan. He was an Executive Vice President at Groupe Bull S.A, a Paris-based computer manufacturer with 45,000 employees, an EVP at Honeywell, the President of Mercer Delta Consulting – and a Professor at the University of Minnesota business school where he earned his masters and PhD.

As David says, “most leaders succeed or fail based on how well they work with others and how well they understand themselves.”  This podcast is devoted to helping you excel at both.

The post Dr. David Dotlich: Why Leaders Fail: The Top Behaviors That Can Derail Your Career appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

More than anything else today, what people want from their employers & leaders is to be given a safe & respectful place in which to work. That’s the conclusion of new Pew research which shows 89% of American workers rank these needs highest.

Yes, employees also expect their leaders to be honest, ethical – and to reward them fairly with pay & benefits. But their ultimate happiness, engagement & sense of well-being all prove to be directly connected to how they are made to feel. And what most people want to feel in their jobs is secure, valued, appreciated — & supported as a human being.

In light of this research, workplace leaders are wise to ask one big question. “What are the specific things I need to do to ensure these employee needs & expectations get met?”

In her new book, “Bring Your Human to Work: Ten Sure-Fire Ways to Design a Workplace That is Good for People, Great for Business, and Just Might Change the World,” author Erica Keswin provides many compelling answers.  She draws on research that shows it often boils down to simple but thoughtful gestures that make the biggest impact.  Making meetings more productive & inspiring. Giving people greater clarity around when their workday ends. Being nudged to take all of their vacation. Ensuring stated organizational values are lived in the halls, not just hung on the walls.

If you’re looking for state-of-the-art ideas on how to support your employees (human beings!) & and to keep them healthy, motivated & productive, listen in & plan to take notes!

The post Erica Keswin: How To Design A Workplace That Is Good for People & Great for Business appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.

While we might consider the time in which we’re all living a more enlightened age, the word “heart” still carries a lot of negative associations when it comes to workplace leadership.

Tied to traditional leadership wisdom, we cling to the belief that caring and supportive management is an inherently weak idea that cannot drive productivity – and so we go on leading in old & less effective ways.

But recent scientific discoveries prove our understanding of how to most effectively motivate human performance is patently wrong.

More to the point, new science shows the heart plays a profound role in influencing human behavior – and that workplace managers who care about, nurture and proactively support their people can expect to be rewarded with unimaginable productivity and success in return.

For nearly three decades, the Institute of HeartMath has been researching the human heart – an organ many people believe is just a pump that circulates blood throughout our bodies.

Led by its chief researcher and co-founder, Dr. Rollin McCraty, HeartMath has discovered that the heart is actually a source of great intelligence that plays an enormous role in shaping our choices and decisions.  And the feelings and emotions that people experience every day at work actually have a major impact on determining their level of engagement, commitment and initiative.

While many managers remain convinced that managing with some degree of fear and stress is a potent way of achieving goals, HeartMath’s research proves they couldn’t be more wrong.  As Rollin McCraty thoroughly explains in this podcast, when people repeatedly experience negative emotions, their cognitive effectiveness instinctively shuts down. They make poor choices and have less energy to commit to the job at hand.

Yes, it’s a huge paradigm change to think that organizations that put the needs of employees first – before those of customers, managers and shareholders – could be a winning formula.  But the science that proves it has become irrefutable.

In addition to his work at HeartMath, Rollin McCraty is a professor at Florida Atlantic University.  His team has done joint research projects with Stanford University, Claremont Graduate University and several other universities around the world. His work has been featured on CNN, ABC World News Tonight, NBC’s Today Show and the Discovery Channel. And his studies have appeared in numerous scientific journals in addition to well-known publications including Prevention, Natural Health, Men’s Fitness and American Health.

After you finish listening to this podcast, you’ll be convinced that the idea of leading from the heart isn’t just the wisest thing a leader can do – it represents the future of workplace leadership.

The post Rollin McCraty: Why The Heart Is The Driver Of Optimal Human Performance appeared first on Mark C. Crowley.