Blog

Patience, one of the key components of leadership and well-being, is a quality of internal peace and calm. Regardless of external circumstances or our personal feelings, we can develop patient responses. A patient response creates space for us and others to adjust to the unexpected, to work through challenges without aggravating them, to regain balance […]

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Courage is probably the best-known characteristic of leadership. But what is courage, exactly. Some dictionaries list it as a synonym of “boldness”—but boldness often exists without courage. Bullies, for instance, are often bold, but their behavior is fear-based. Recklessness may seem bold, but can be the result of panic. Many great leaders (FDR, Mandela) and […]

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In some organizations, “teamwork” is a buzzword. But in others, it has become a latter-day Holy Grail—pursued obsessively, but not always productively. What makes the difference? In February, a profound article in the New York Times Magazine, “What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team,” revealed some interesting, data-driven findings for our teamwork-obsessed economy. Here’s what […]

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To make your best contribution at work, it’s important to feel psychologically safe (i.e., free to express your thoughts without fear of embarrassment or retribution) within the groups you’re part of. Although psychological safety technically a group dynamic—one you alone can’t control—you can contribute to the group safety by participating in a calm, confident empathetic way. Feeling calm, confidence […]

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Important to teamwork and other relationships, psychological safety is a climate of openness where issues can be freely discussed. Harvard professor and leadership expert Amy Edmondson, who may have coined the phrase, defines psychological safety as “A belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.” […]

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