Leaders’ actions actions are influenced by unspoken self-talk. Sometimes, these thoughts are self-critical and provoke anxiety. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), developed by University of Pennsylvania’s Aaron Beck, provides a systematic way to notice and restructure “irrational self-talk.“ Similar approaches were developed by Albert Ellis in Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET), and David Burns in his synthesis of CBT and RET. […]
People can improve task performance in public speaking, mathematical problem solving, and karaoke singing, by reappraising anxiety as “excitement,” according to Harvard’s Alison Wood Brooks. Using silent self-talk messages (“I am excited”) or reading self-direction messages (“Get excited!”) fosters an “opportunity mind-set” by increasing alignment between physical arousal and situational appraisal. “Excitement” is typically viewed […]
People are motivated by goals that enable: Relatedness to others, Competence in skillful performance, Autonomy in directing effort, according to Columbia’s Heidi Grant Halvorson. She advocated working toward “better” performance rather than focusing on achieving the goal. This can be accomplished by acknowledging mistakes and practicing self-compassion, suggested by Berkeley’s Juliana Breines and Serena Chen, and […]
Anxious negotiators make lower first offers, end negotiations earlier, and earn lower profits than calmer negotiation counterparts. Harvard’s Alison Wood Brooks and Maurice E. Schweitzer of University of Pennsylvania found that these negotiations patterns occurred due to participants’ “low self-efficacy” beliefs. Brooks and Schweitzer induced anxious feelings or neutral reactions during “shrinking-pie” negotiation tasks.Negotiators who […]
Despite years of popular guidance to use self-statements for difficult conversations with partners, spouses, and bosses, research argues for using self-distancing alternatives to manage stress and increase self-control. University of Michigan’s Ethan Kross, Jiyoung Park, Aleah Burson, Adrienne Dougherty, Holly Shablack, and Ryan Bremner with Emma Bruehlman-Senecal and Ozlem Ayduk of University of California, Berkeley, plus Michigan State’s Jason Moser […]
One of the foundations of psychotherapy and executive coaching is the notion that provocative, well-timed, penetrating questions can provoke insight and initiative behavior change. One example of a systematic approach to high-impact questioning is Appreciative Inquiry, developed by Case Western’s David Cooperrider and Diana Whitney, and it has been integrated into interpersonal conversations including counseling, coaching, […]
People consistently underestimated the number of creative ideas they could generate if they continued working on a task, particularly on subjectively difficult innovation challenges, found Northwestern’s Brian J. Lucas and Loran F. Nordgren. People who were undaunted by difficult tasks were more able to persist in developing novel ideas, and their work produced both more ideas […]
Effective leadership is a critical part of organizational health and growth and an important driver of shareholder returns, according to Ohio State’s Ralph M. Stogdill with McKinsey’s Aaron De Smet, Bill Schaninger, with Matthew Smith. Consistent with this report, more than 90 percent of CEOs said they plan to increase investment in leadership development because they […]
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher participated in vocal training to project greater authority in her political role, with highly effective results. Even without specific vocal training, research volunteers adopted powerful vocal elements when believed they had power and informational advantages in lab experiments by San Diego State University’s Sei Jin Ko and Melody S. Sadler […]
Feeling “starved for time,” with “too much to do and too little time to do it”? University of Michigan’s Leslie Perlow identified the subjective experience “time famine” among software engineers, whose productivity was reduced based on frequent interruptions by others, a pervasive “crisis mentality,” rewards linked to “individual heroics.” One counterintuitive remedy for “time famine” is giving time by helping other people. This use of time […]
Kathryn Welds, PhD | Curated Research + Commentary 