Take a moment to watch Bill Gates in this video. Consider how you view his credibility. According to a global poll of 42,000 people, he’s the most admired person in the world. He generates instant credibility, doesn’t he? When you watch, your brain remembers something about his accomplishments and wealth. But you can’t process all
With the release of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” this past November, I have fully jumped on the Mister Rogers bandwagon. Or shall we say, “neighborhood trolley.” Even though “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” was on air for all of my childhood, my puppets of choice at the time went by names like “Cookie Monster” and
Recently, I watched a colleague present at a conference, and something about the presentation moved me. The passion, the mastery of the material, the risk this person took to be on stage — it all just hit me. Suddenly, my chest felt full and tears started streaming out of the corner of my eyes. And
One of the ironies of being human is that it can sometimes be hard just to be your authentic self. And no one knows that more than a middle schooler. I see my sons facing these pressures every day. Like when I recently drove one son to a tennis match with his doubles partner —
Megan Tamte is comfortable being vulnerable. She allows people to see her for who she really is—even when it’s messy. For the founder of the fast-growing women’s retailer Evereve, it’s something that goes back to the styling floor of her first store, in Edina, Minnesota, where Megan remembers facing “uncomfortable and awkward situations all the
In the wonderful documentary, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, revered sushi chef Jiro Ono does something completely uncommon and unnecessary. Despite being 85 years old and widely considered the world’s greatest sushi chef, he never settles. We can sum his constant push toward perfection in the Japanese word shokunin, meaning “craftsman” or “artisan.” But even beyond technical
When you think about risk, your mind might instantly go to the external hazards and potential threats “out there.” But as humble leader Dan Dye, CEO of Ardent Mills, recently reminded me, one the biggest risks you can take is much more personal: It’s the risk to be who you are, no matter what. And
It was a tense, even stifling, environment. People were afraid to fail, so they avoided risks. They were reluctant to speak up in meetings or challenge ideas. The reason? The leader. He was never out of control, always in charge, always one step ahead of everyone else. Never vulnerable. Always composed. For all his self-assurance,
Is showing emotion at work verboten? I’m starting to re-consider the popular assumption that it is. Crying, laughing, protesting and celebrating are authentic displays of who we are and central to our humanness. The more human we are, the more we can fully engage with others. And as social acumen becomes increasingly critical to workplace
My friend has been trying hard to fit in at his company. Like all of us, he carries insecurity and tries hard to say and do the right things. So he was excited to join the recent team diversity and inclusion training day. Here’s a chance to connect authentically with other team members, he thought.
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE