Over the course of their working lives, most people have been trained — unintentionally, and perversely — to ignore something essential about themselves. We’re talking about their circadian rhythms, which chart the natural ebb and flow of alertness and energy throughout the day. Traditional assumptions about productivity deal with these ebbs and flows as something to overcome. But that’s not the best approach, and enlightened managers can do something about it. They can let employees know it’s OK to heed these natural rhythms. And they can help retrain people to respect them. The likely outcom ..read more

In a busy shopping mall, a researcher posing as a panhandler approaches passersby, asking them for bus fare. Most say no. A few say yes. But when the researcher adds a short phrase after his request, a remarkable thing happens: Twice as many people give him money. What’s the magic that doubled the “yes” rate, magic that you can apply in your sales work? A phrase beginning with these four words: “But you are free…” ‘But you are free’ In the experiment we’ve described, the specific phrase the researcher added to his request for bus fare was: “But you are free to accept or refuse.” This experimen ..read more

It happens every January: People decide what they want to start doing, or do better, in the year ahead and then, too often, proceed to fail spectacularly at keeping these new year’s resolutions. Clearly, there’s a gulf between articulating goals and reaching them. When we think about what this means to goal setting in the workplace, the question become, what can managers do to close the gap between goals set and goals achieved? An answer lies in an experimental study that shows how “implementation intentions” — detailed, concrete plans to achieve a goal — make it much more likely people will i ..read more

There’s no doubt that online learning is here to stay. Globally, the online learning market is already worth tens of billions of dollars, and is expected to reach $50 billion by the year 2026. But is online learning as effective as face-to-face when it comes to training your employees? Many factors go into answering that question. Recent research out of Ruhr University Bochum in Germany focuses on one key aspect of learning effectiveness: the physiological effect of online learning vs. in-person learning. States of arousal The university researchers did two studies. In the first, they measured ..read more

Know what “tag questions” are? Maybe you don’t recognize the term. But you’ve undoubtedly heard them used. It’s when someone states a position, then puts a short “tag” at the end, creating a question designed to get agreement. For example: “Now we’ve got everything we need, don’t we?” or “It’s pretty obvious this is a waste of time, isn’t it?” or “Makes sense, right?” The conventional wisdom on tag questions is that they’re weak. In many studies, they’ve been shown to diminish the perceived authority of the person using them and make arguments less persuasive. But a study suggests that the ear ..read more

When coaching employees, was there ever a time when you feel you did most of the talking? Maybe you did. And if so, this may have been the result of deep psychological impulses within you — and every human being — that can sabotage you in situations where you really need the other person to participate, like coaching sessions. Research led by the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands found that cultures all over the world – including the United States, Japan, Denmark and the Bushmen of the Kalahari, to name a few —  observe a conversational rule known as “turn taki ..read more

Conflict is an inevitable part of the employment scene, now more than ever. Employees come to the workplace these days with widely divergent views on such things as geopolitics, social and cultural trends, and moral/ethical issues. Not to mention that the explosion of social media has given everybody a platform to express themselves firmly, if not loudly and aggressively. Put all this together with people’s ingrained differences in personality and you have a recipe for frequent, disruptive conflict. So it’s critically important that managers know how to head conflict off at the pass, at best ..read more

Imagine you’re doing an account review with a longtime client — let’s call her Jane. At the end, Jane says, “By the way, I read an article about some new technology they say could reduce our costs. Are you on top of that?” You are, and you tell Jane that while this new tech could save her a little on the front end, it’s risky and could cost her more long-term. Jane makes no further comment, and you think the issue has been dealt with. But a few weeks later, she tells you she’s taking her business elsewhere. You feel blindsided — but should you? No. The problem is that Jane’s question sounded o ..read more

You manage a team of six people, and they’re all good workers. But a couple of them aren’t as punctual as you’d like. In fact, they show up late for work at least three or four times a month. So, figuring that money talks, you start thinking about monetary ways to handle the issue. You consider two alternatives. You could either punish frequent latecomers by reducing their annual bonuses, or reward folks who show up on time with a small supplement to their bonus. Which is better? Unfortunately, they’re both likely to fail – because neither a financial incentive nor a disincentive is the right ..read more

Whether you’re a sales professional seeking to close your next big deal or a leader wanting to inspire your team to new heights, The Rapid Rundown is the podcast for you. It delivers validated strategies, hidden gems, and valuable techniques, all rooted in real academic research, and all in under 20 minutes with new episodes weekly. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your career. Tune in to the first episode of The Rapid Rundown. And don’t forget to subscribe! We have a ton of great content in store. Episode #1: Listening is the Key to Better Leadership You can listen to the first episode ..read more