Whether your colleague is asking for input on a joint decision or a friend is simply curious about what kind of music you prefer, it’s common for people to intentionally withhold their opinions and preferences out of a desire to appear easygoing and cooperative. However, the authors’ research suggests that this approach can seriously backfire: Through a series of studies with more than 7,000 participants in a wide range of interpersonal situations, the authors found that failing to weigh in can actually make you seem less likable, ultimately harming both personal and workplace relationships. To address this common misconception, the authors suggest that managers should encourage and model healthy self-expression on their teams, both to improve their own relationships with colleagues across their organizations and to normalize the expression of personal preferences for employees who might otherwise be inclined to stay silent.

It’s not uncommon for talented leaders to find collaboration unnatural. After all, rugged individualism set them apart and propelled their careers. And for many, that same focus on distinguishing themselves later becomes their demise. Most of an enterprise’s competitive value is created and delivered at organizational “seams,” where functions come together to form capabilities (think marketing, consumer analytics, and R&D, together developing innovation capability). That requires leaders of those functions to collaborate across the siloes to deliver that value. If you’re a leader who struggles to collaborate with your peers, you first need to understand why that is, then work to develop that skill.

One of executives’ biggest worries about remote work is the reduction in spontaneous meetings and conversations with employees. But is this worry justified? New research on meetings shows that it might not be. It turns out that employees have more short, one-on-one meetings compared to 2020, and those meetings are increasingly spontaneous (meaning they weren’t set up in advance on the calendar). While there are limitations to this data, it does suggest that employees are finding new ways to connect with each other — and that there are steps organizations can take to encourage them to continue to do so.

A CEO once said that he did not ever again want to see the company miss a chance with the customers just because the marketing department did not have the budget to market a new product that emerged…

Guiding principle in effective product development culture.

The following is an excerpt from the recently released book by Martin Christensen and me titled Holistic Product Discovery. It's been a 3-year journey that started with a 20-page draft.

Do: Sprinkle adrenaline kicks throughout

On the ANE panel last night, an agile coach asked, “What's my path forward as an agile coach? What do I do next?” That's a great question and one each coach might ask, to make sure they continue to add value to the client. (Internal or external, all coaches have clients.) I said that if … Three Keys for Successful Agile Coaching: Level, Empathy, and Experience Read More »

Doing customer interviews is great! Doing it with a clear sense of what you’re trying to learn is even better. Here’s why.

How Onfido implemented focus time across our tech organization

Mexican bus company teaching drivers how it feels to be a cyclist to improve their driving style. Empathy. Check out more curious innovations on our website:… | 1,058 comments on LinkedIn