Proficiency and Creativity

Every group skill can be sorted into one of two basic types: skills of proficiency and skills of creativity. Skills of proficiency are about doing task the same way, every single time. They are about delivering machine-like reliability, and they tend to apply in domains in which the goal behaviors are clearly defined, such as […]

Name and rank your priorities

In order to move toward a target, you must first have a target. Listing your priorities, which means wrestling with the choices that define your identity, is the first step. Most successful groups end up with a small handful of priorities (five or fewer), and many, not coincidentally, end up placing their in-group relationships – […]

Ed-isms

Ed Catmull, President and cofounder of Pixar. Hire people smarter than you. Fail early, fail often. Listen to everyone’s ideas. Face toward the problems. B-level work is bad for your soul. It’s more important to invest in good people than in good ideas. Ref: The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle

Winning

Winning is fantastic; in fact, it is addicting, but it’s not the most important thing. Learning from our victories is sometimes more important than the win itself. It will teach us to empower others and encourage them to get back on the saddle after a hard loss. The next time you win, remember what it […]

Strength in weakness

Danny Meyer delivered the message to his staff – I was scared – with steadiness, confidence, and comfort that underlined the deeper message: It’s safe to tell the truth here. His vulnerability isn’t weakness; it’s his strength. Laszlo Bock former head of People Analytics at Google, recommends that leaders ask their people three questions: What […]

Connect

“I like the word connect,” Roshi Givechi says. “For me, every conversation is the same, because it’s about helping people walk away with greater sense of awareness, excitement, and motivation to make an impact. Because individuals are really different. So you have to find different ways to make it comfortable and engaging for people to […]

Cooperation in small groups

“When we talk about courage, we think it’s going against an enemy with a machine gun,” Cooper says. “The real courage is seeing truth and speaking the truth to each other. People never want to be the person that says, ‘Wait a second, what’s really going on here?’ But inside the squadron, that is the […]

The Vulnerability Loop

Imagine you and a stranger ask each other the following two sets of questions. Set A What was the best gift you ever received and why? Describe the last pet you owned. Where did you go to high school? What was your high school like? Who is your favorite actor or actress? Set B If […]