Warren Bennis

Hope combines the determination to achieve one’s goals with the ability to generate the means to do so.

Frank Morris, Jean-Philippe Deschamps, Chris Floyd, Geoffrey Marlow

Once formed, mindsets become more and more deeply ingrained through a reinforcing loop. Mindsets condition our perceptions, which dictate what we experience. Our experiences reinforce our original mindsets and close the loop. In organizations, this phenomenon tends to manifest as separate “mindset factions” e.g., in R&D, Marketing, and Manufacturing. Members of various factions see things differently, yet all believe they are unarguably and self-evidently “right” … [ Read more ]

MBA Essentials: A free online curriculum to learn skills taught in top MBA programs

The MBA is a famously expensive degree. But most of the academic learning you’ll get in an MBA program can now be had through free online resources. SlideRule ran a detailed study of the “core” curricula of some of the world’s top business schools to determine the essential components of an MBA. Then, we curated the best online resources that teach each of those essential … [ Read more ]

Daniel Goleman

The bedrock of character is self-discipline; the virtuous life, as philosophers since Aristotle have observed, is based on self-control. A related keystone of character is being able to motivate and guide oneself, whether in doing homework, finishing a job, or getting up in the morning. And, as we have seen, the ability to defer gratification and to control and channel one’s urges to act is … [ Read more ]

The Five Steps to Better Decisions

Decisions are the coin of the realm in business. No company can reach its full potential unless it makes good decisions quickly and consistently and then implements them effectively. For more than 25 years, the three authors have consulted to organizations of all sorts and noticed all these organizations share one consistent trait: when they focus explicitly on decisions, they improve their performance. This article … [ Read more ]

6 Ways Successful Businesspeople Stay on the Cutting Edge

Too busy to keep up on changes and current trends in your field? These 6 experts offer smart advice you can quickly implement, even with your busy schedule.

Stephanie Overby, Maurice Schweitzer

People automatically associate input related to quantity (how long it takes to make a car) with output quality (how well it performs). While in many cases, input information does directly correspond to outcome, in some cases it does not. Yet humans are hardwired to automatically associate input and output. And people can prey on your input bias, causing you to make poor decisions or judgments … [ Read more ]

Mind Your Feedback

Douglas Stone, coauthor of Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well (Even When It Is Off-Base, Unfair, Poorly Delivered, and Frankly, You’re Not in the Mood), introduces a cautionary lesson in assessing others from Embodied Leadership: A Somatic Approach to Developing Your Leadership, by Pete Hamill.

David S. McIntosh

Psychologist Richard Farson observed that, although people profess to learn from their mistakes, their behavior is shaped by their successes. This is why change is hard for people. Confronted with failure, or with a new world where the old tricks aren’t working any more, most people keep doing what they have been doing, only harder.

Denial, Fear, Greed and Pride: The Four Horsemen of the Executive Apocalypse

A question John McCallum’s MBA students inevitably explore with the CEOs who visit his class is the personal characteristics that are most likely to get in the way of a successful executive career. Over many visiting CEOs and over many years, there is remarkable commonality in the responses: denial, fear, greed and pride, a kind of four horsemen of the executive apocalypse.

Henry Mintzberg

If you want the imagination to see the future, then you better have the wisdom to appreciate the past. An obsession with the present—with what’s “hot”, and what’s “in”—may be dazzling, but all that does is blind everyone to the reality. Show me a chief executive who ignores yesterday, who favors the new outsider over the experienced insider, the quick fix over steady progress, and … [ Read more ]

Making Great Decisions

Stanford’s Chip Heath and McKinsey’s Olivier Sibony discuss new research, fresh frameworks, and practical tools for decision makers.

The Boss: How Influential Are You?

Mastering three imperatives is the way managers advance from being basically competent to fully effective. Readers will learn what those imperatives are and what they need to do to exhibit mastery of them–to go from good to great.

Leadership Is a Contact Sport

Developing as a leader is a difficult endeavor. It’s not easy, but I’ve developed a leadership development model that has now proven to work with thousands and thousands of people. This model is just eight steps: Ask, Listen, Think, Thank, Respond, Involve, Change, Follow Up.

John Wooden

Few things provide greater satisfaction or joy than to learn that another feels that something you have said or done has been of help to them. This is especially true when it occurred with no thought of something in return.

Early-Stage Research on Decision-Making Styles

People make decisions—often in very different ways. Learn more about five distinct styles and the preferences that shape them.

Making Better Decisions over Time

The technique of deliberate practice can dramatically improve performance, but knowing its limits is as important as understanding its value.

Calvin Coolidge

No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.

Adding Too Much Value

A classic problem of smart, successful people is Adding Too Much Value. This bad habit can be defined as the overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion. Adding Too Much Value is common among leaders who are used to running the show. It is extremely difficult for successful people to listen to other people tell them something that they already know without … [ Read more ]