In order to take up a challenge, we need agency (am I able to do this or make it happen) and will (do I want to do this or make it happen?)
The potential matrix is a simple way to illustrate any dilemma we may have.
Board directors have immense responsibility – the future of the company is in their hands and in the decisions they make. They also have responsibility to multiple stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, customers, investors and the environment. In theory, great responsibility should be accompanied by great accountability. In practice, the consequences when directors do a poor job, are minimal. While there are sanctions for dishonesty (such as disqualification or in extreme cases, such as fraud, prison), the bar for incompetence is set so high in many Western economies that the only sanction is losing their job.
Board directors have immense responsibility – the future of the company is in their hands and in the decisions they make. They also have responsibility to multiple stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, customers, investors and the environment. In theory, great responsibility should be accompanied by great accountability. In practice, the consequences when directors do a poor job, are minimal. While there are sanctions for dishonesty (such as disqualification or in extreme cases, such as fraud, prison), the bar for incompetence is set so high in many Western economies that the only sanction is losing their job.
“Stacking” is a term that refers to linking a habit you want to create with one that you already have. For example, if brushing your teeth is a well-established routine, then doing a stretch exercise afterwards becomes an extension of that routine. Washing the toothbrush under a tap becomes a reminder or trigger to stretch.
The Defiance Compass poses three powerful questions, developed by organisational psychologist Dr. Sunita Sah, to help people determine how to act in accordance with their core values and resist pressure from others to conform.
Illusory truth theory describes the phenomenon, by which people gradually accept a statement, which we initially reject, as true, if it is repeated often enough. To economise effort, our brains dampen down our reactions to any stimulus that is repeated, be that physical, intellectual or emotional. The downside of doing so is that we get acclimatised to things that may be harmful, including ideas.
Presence is one of those words that gets used and abused for many purposes. One of the most common is as a synonym for charisma, in the sense of attracting admiration or followership. (This is in itself a corruption – the roots of charisma lie in caring for others.)
In the context of a mature and effective coach or mentor, however, presence is a phenomenon that bridges awareness and connection at three levels.
I once went through a battery of psychometric tests with one of the leading psychology consultancies. I wanted to understand them from the perspective of the client experience. For a lot of the questions, I found myself saying “From this perspective, I’d answer X; but from another perspective, I’d answer Y”. Clearly frustrated, the psychologist told me that my personality was too complicated for diagnosis!
The protégé effect: How mentors learn from mentoring1 The protégé effect describes how we learn by teaching others. Multiple experiments demonstrate that, to get our heads around a complex topic, explaining it to someone else can be highly effective. One such experiment took a class of schoolchildren studying the biological progress of a fever. Half...
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Whenever a valued executive retires after many years, he or she takes with them a wealth of experience, insight and wisdom. This valuable resource is lost for good.
It doesn’t have to be that way. A planned approach can ensure a significant knowledge transfer.