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Dec31
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Rarely a day goes by that we don’t hear horror stories about toxic workplaces … and I am wondering if they’re on the rise. Have you noticed it also? Just the other day I spotted a poster on one office wall that read …
Things are Getting Worse – Please Send Chocolates!
Unfortunately, when problems loom up at work … we tend to rewire our brains against the very changes a workplace craves most. In our attempts to offset the troubles we often build dendrite brain cells for even more workplace disaster.
How does it happen?
1. We lecture people about changes they need to make … in spite of the fact that lectures work against the human brain.
2. We blame others rather than draw from intrapersonal intelligence to change in ways that overcome challenges.
3. We fail to risk for change when others criticize our new ideas or when the chips are down.
4. We neglect multiple intelligences that help people to solve problems with more of the brain in mind.
5. We generate cortisol through feeling anxious, giving in to fear, or allowing others’ frustrations to impact our well-being.
Look at leaders like Elliott Spitzer … and you see problems he faces daily from tenured leaders all around him … who simply press on without change along the way. Is that resistence to change the norm at your firm?
Why not survey your workplace to see how people are wiring their brains for intelligent responses to problems they face. What do you think?
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Dec31
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Some time ago I suggested that it’s better to ask people … How are you smart? … than to ask … How smart are you? Today I happened upon Steve Olson’s amazing post on intelligence that helped to answer how...
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When Einstein said that imagination trumped knowledge or facts – he foreshadowed a growing research body that shows why this is so. The brain simply cannot create when we already speak the jargon … and follow the well accepted approaches...
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With recent good news about the brain’s ability to change … why not make add a few mental resolutions to your New Year’s list. Your first day back to work could just reboot the chemistry of your own brain and...
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Dec30
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Most 2008 resolutions will fail us. For those who make promises every New Year that won’t come as a shock. After all … we are socialized to believe if we resolve it … we’ll do it. Right?So say revelers every...
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New Year’s is more than a time for personal resolutions. Beyond plans to lose weight, sleep more, or exercise daily … why not consider change at work.Here are MITA’s top 10 workplace resolutions for 2008:1. Start everyday with clearer targets and revisit these at the...
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I’m a bit bothered by our growing resentment toward legal immigrants. It's time for a change of focus ... as I see it. Why so? As weapons mount to nab undocumented workers … so does anger seem to grow toward...
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We often see resistance strike down new plans at work. But have you noticed how people who muster up enthusiasm tend to succeed at work far beyond brains under pressure?To the human brain enthusiasm buffers the storms and provides space...
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Dec29
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Here are five practical access points to more extravagance from your brain … and life-changing opportunities in the coming year.1. Question to reboot your brain daily. Keep curiosity alive by stimuli you stir up through questions such as … “what...
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Dec28
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The word is out that violent video games damage the brain. We've just seen research that shows how violent video games can lead to aggression. Now, an even more recent research study ... shows how violent video games slow blood flow to...
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Dec25
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For successful entrepreneurs … bitter roots of anger can become the stem of incredible answers. Have you seen anger recycled into action? To merely manage anger is far too passive for successful leaders with a vision for the future where...
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Dec23
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A good friend just emailed Dalai Lama’s 2007 message… called Instructions for Life. It’s actually not Dalai Lama's work - although it's similar. A little web research showed me that these are actually a briefer version of Jackson Brown’s Life...
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Dec22
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Steve Rossler reminded his readers today … that change takes risk. I’d like to add that risk means staring from where you stand – and reaching forward … across chasms that hold many back. How so?1. Without money people fear...
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Do you plan a break over this holiday season? As leaders, workers, and family members – we find it hard to move past the busy parts of any day – to relax and shift gears. Most would agree … the human...
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Dec19
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Fly headlong into headwinds … and suddenly you're faced with instant choices to navigate your brain toward or away from your target. It just happened to a good friend. The phone rang two weeks after he'd invested heavily ... in what...
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Dec18
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Whenever crisis strikes an organization, exceptional leaders tend to coalesce their allies, recognize a sense of urgency, and use mental tools needed to navigate the storms that come with change. Why then are lasting improvements so rare? Timothy Clark tells the story of...
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Dec17
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Not many people find exactly what it takes to spark change. At least not the effective, lasting or systemic kind. Any revolutionary needs where you work?In his book, Epic Change: How to Lead Change in the Global Age, Timothy Clark...
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Dec16
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Successful entrepreneurs leave ruts behind by building neuron pathways at two levels. On one level they hold onto but enliven what’s working well … On another level they move past old socks who stick with old … and...
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Dec15
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Blood flow is critical to mental vitality, because blood carries oxygen and other nutrients that sustain healthy neurons. With a full 740 milliliters of blood circulating in the brain each minute, and even more during sleep … you see its...
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Dec13
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Does this mean that on that day when you snap at a co-worker … that you become a cranky snapper? Or does it mean that you’d become a caring communicator simply stepping back to communicate carefully if another person diminishes...
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Dec12
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Do fellow workers ask for a new brand of leader at your business? If leaders who managed mega monopolies cannot cultivate or sustain business that fits inventors and entrepreneurs – who can? The simple response … Transformational leaders with the...
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Dec11
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How do you spark stress free conversations that are both interesting and informative. Research shows that we each get hit with about 22 stressors each day. Were you aware, though, how good tone turn stressors into learning adventures.People who tend...
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Dec10
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Don’t you love to see differences come together in ways that respect the similarities and learn from the opposite sides. In addition, I admire the life-changing lessons from people who value colleagues and friends who differ in views and backgrounds.Without...
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Dec 9
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With the fade of mega firms and the rise of entrepreneurs, many leaders look to networks as a way to cultivate and sustain business. Where do you network?I’ve been thinking or starting a MITA Network Association called Entrepreneurs With the...
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Dec 8
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Yesterday I met a man who’d just been downsized and lost his job. With Christmas just around the corner and a young family – this young man had no idea how to tell his wife the bad news. He dreaded going...
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Dec 7
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Before you answer the question about burning out or burning strong … check out the lists below - and choose one of the two that describes you best.Would colleagues, for instance, see you most today in the top or bottom list?...
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Dec 6
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The word is just out. It seems the human brain changes when people watch violent acts … and researchers just reported it’s far from good news. Scientists at Columbia University have finally taken us inside the brain to show through...
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Do you learn in life-changing ways? Daily? Or was learning set aside when you signed that last seemingly solid work contract? If you say yes to ongoing learning …. then innovative aspects of your work today ... will likely inspire people...
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Dec 5
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When people speak of common sense … what they really mean is far from common. Why so? Wally Bock, a friend and fellow blogger, spotlights common sense best in a post … The Power of Example. In theory, research suggests...
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Dec 4
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If you’ve ever worked with people who obsess over personal flaws … you may be looking at victims whose brain misfire.People who insist they’re ugly may have a brain glitch when processing visual details, according to Dr. Jamie Feusner. Check...
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People feel trapped in routine work that pays the mortgage … but fails to challenge their minds. If that describes you – why not fuel a brain based approach beyond boredom. In order to launch your new career without financial...
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Dec 3
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The finals are in for working memory tests between chimps and college students and overall the chimps won. Yikes! Researcher Tetsuro Matsuzawa showed how 5 and 7 year old chimps scored better in memory tests than humans … on several...
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My Alma mater, the University of British Columbia’s just landed in the news for touting the notion that quitters can be winners. Does the idea that ... if at first you don’t succeed – throw in the towel ... catch you off guard,...
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Dec 2
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I once taught a highly gifted university student who died from anorexia ... and the horrors of that disease opened my eyes. I still remember the frustrations of visiting this student in hospital and then in a mental hospital … as she slowly...
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How much college tuition did you spend to expand your mind and increase your chances? If costs came out of your own pocket ... you'd be interested to know how pillars of pedagogy stand under new scrutiny. Simply put, new questions are being...
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Would you agree that people tend to be hardwired to follow the golden rule? If this question intrigues you, you'll likely also be curious about new research that shows surprising results related to your brain and to ethical actions. Interestingly,...
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Dec 1
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Can you imagine a great inventor, a master musician, or an Olympian runner … complain about being bored? Are you susceptible to tedium’s emotional drain? Research suggests that the opposite of boredom is focus, living in the moment, and finding...
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