People often want more responsibility and a bigger title. Whether it’s at a full-time job or on a volunteer board, leaders are wired to pursue greater influence. Increasing responsibility and influence is a way for us to be more valuable. One challenge with positioning ourselves for more responsibility is being promotable without being self-promotional. And
The only people that don’t admit to fighting insecurity at times are insecure about being honest. While insecurity is a part of being human, it can limit our clarity, creativity and communication. Dale Carnegie Training conducted research last year, and will follow with further research to be released next month, revealing that the feeling of
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
We hold tight to people, pleasures and positions that make us feel more alive. Whether it’s our loyalty to children, health, or performance, these objects of our love are often very good things that benefit from our attention. They also give us status, meaning and happiness. So our grip on them is fierce, sometimes to
Perhaps the key to accomplishing more… is doing less. Maybe “getting a lot done” is not the best measure of a work day. This is counter-cultural for those of us that hurry to do as much as possible each day. “Lucky…” (with this photo) was the text message from my wife after she drove a
It is good to be in a place where we feel valued. Recent research by Dale Carnegie Training suggests that “feeling” valued leads to an increased likelihood of “creating” value – in the marketplace, at home, or at school. And yet, the research also shows that these places, where we feel valued, are rare. Some
Inspiring leaders show a full range of emotions. It endears people to them because it makes them human. It causes people to believe in them because emotions show that they are real and that they care. My most inspired and inspiring moments have come through lightness of humor and joy or depth of grief or
I want to work in an environment where people let each other be real. We engage and get stronger when we can be vulnerable. Vulnerability is courageous and honest disclosure of pain and insecurity. We can foster this authenticity when we respond with a sustained and non-judging presence. I learned about creating a vulnerable environment
Pain is threaded through our lives, including at work, and, if we’re going to lead, we need to be real about pain. It’s hard when people show us their problems. It makes us uncomfortable. Usually, when we are interrupted by the suffering of others, our primary motivation is to reduce our own discomfort as quickly
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