The past week brought communication of conflict and crisis. I read news of human violence, learned about friends in difficult circumstances, and I had hard conversations. My mind was on high alert. As situations arose, I was one part anxious, one part awkward, and one part focused. Have you been there? Where I was directly
As a leader, there will be times when you’ll need to change someone’s behavior or mindset. If you’re like most of us, your instinct will be to put your powers of persuasion to work, to come up with all the best arguments to sway the person. Persuasion, which relies on logic and wit, is an
We get in our own way. Impulse, laziness, fear and mindlessness often lead us away from what makes us most alive. Structure can save us. Whether it’s a cadence, routine, discipline or policy, we need to build structure into our lives and organizations to protect us from ourselves. At times in my life, I’ve felt
Structure is essential to inspiring creativity and self-expression. Neuroscientists have recently demonstrated that improvisation occurs when the self-monitoring region of our brain turns off through mastery of a foundational structure. Musician Yo-Yo Ma said, “An innovation, to grow organically from within, has to be based on an intact tradition.” I wish I could fully enjoy
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