Reprint: R1401K

Feedback is crucial—but almost everyone, from new hires to C-suite executives, struggles with receiving it. The authors, who have spent 20 years working with managers on difficult conversations, outline six steps that can help you turn feedback into an important, and unthreatening, tool.

Know your tendencies. Look for patterns in how you respond. (Do you defend yourself? Do you lash out?) Once you understand your standard operating procedure, you can make better choices about where to go from there.

Separate the “what” from the “who.” Your feelings about the messenger might be short-circuiting your ability to learn from the message.

Sort toward coaching. Work to hear feedback as well-meant advice, not as an indictment.

Unpack the feedback. Resist snap judgments; explore where suggestions are coming from and where they’re going.

Request and direct feedback. Don’t wait for a formal review; ask for bite-size pieces...

Let’s be honest: It’s been a terrible year for most people, though not everyone experienced the trauma of the pandemic, the ongoing reckoning around racial inequalities, and the contentious U.S. election in the same way. Since the pandemic began, there’s been a call for managers to be understanding and lenient with employees as they navigate the stressors the global crisis has brought on. Now that restrictions are lifting in many parts of the world, some managers are wondering how to continue to balance compassion for the people on their team and accountability for getting work done. The good news is, experts say that it’s possible to have both. Rather than thinking of it as a trade-off between compassion and accountability, think about how you can combine the two. Here are eight steps managers can take to meet goals while also being caring.

Succeeding in digital transformation begins with platform selection — finding the right constellation of basic apps plus the ability to rapidly regenerate error-free, running code to support a business’ changing processes. Small and midsize businesses’ front office software is under-configured for a digital transformation. Many companies have old software suites that no longer fit the demands of a work-from-anywhere world. Also, their systems are not well integrated, causing extra work for users who often wrestle long hours with their software, often on personal time, to support what should be simple business processes.

High turnover, the shift to hybrid work, and continued uncertainty about the future mean that your entire workforce may be feeling unmoored. These upheavals mean that even long-time employees — who have spent years building their reputations within an organization — may now feel they’re starting from scratch. That has enormous implications for performance, innovation, and well-being. By seizing this fall as a moment to re-onboard everyone, managers can boost team cohesion, performance, and well-being. The author presents five steps managers should take.

A certain level of self-doubt is good. It can push us to work harder. But when it manifests as imposter syndrome — that nagging voice in the back of your head, clouding your mind with doubt and insecurity — it can backfire. If you’ve recently been promoted or found the job of your dreams but find yourself overtaken by imposter syndrome, there are a few ways to dial down the self-criticism and grow in your career.

In order to step up diversity efforts, organizations often start with people analytics to pinpoint where to intervene. But as organizations take a data-driven approach to identifying areas of change, many encounter one issue: they have a great deal of data about the experiences of certain groups, but far less on others. An organization may be able to tell a clear story about how women in general are faring, or may be able to discuss the experiences of people of color broadly, but what about Asian women compared to Black women, or Hispanic men compared to white men? With such limited data, many companies revert back to broad categories (e.g. “all women”) as they structure diversity initiatives.

But pooling “people of color” or “women” to have more data discounts within-group differences and hinders meaningful change. Research shows that “one size first all” diversity approaches often only benefit a subset of employees. And efforts directed at women broadly tend to...

Reprint: R0809D

Many people believe that good ideas are rarer and more valuable than good people. Ed Catmull, president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, couldn’t disagree more. That notion, he says, is rooted in a misguided view of creativity that exaggerates the importance of the initial idea in developing an original product. And it reflects a profound misunderstanding of how to manage the large risks inherent in producing breakthroughs.

In filmmaking and many other kinds of complex product development, creativity involves a large number of people from different disciplines working effectively together to solve a great many inherently unforeseeable problems. The trick to fostering collective creativity, Catmull says, is threefold: Place the creative authority for product development firmly in the hands of the project leaders (as opposed to corporate executives); build a culture and processes that encourage people to share their work-in-progress and...

When we experience a setback at work, we tend to either become defensive and blame others, or berate ourselves. Neither response is helpful. Shirking responsibility by getting defensive may alleviate the sting of failure, but it comes at the expense of learning. Self-flagellation, on the other hand, may feel warranted in the moment, but it can lead to an inaccurately gloomy assessment of one’s potential, which undermines personal development.

Research shows that we should respond instead with self-compassion. People who do this tend to demonstrate three behaviors: First, they are kind rather than judgmental about their own failures and mistakes; second, they recognize that failures are a shared human experience; and third, they take a balanced approach to negative emotions when they stumble or fall short—they allow themselves to feel bad, but they don’t let negative emotions take over.

Self-compassion boosts performance by triggering the “growth...

When most organizations strive to increase collaboration, they approach it too narrowly: as a value to cultivate—not a skill to teach. So they create open offices, talk up collaboration as a corporate goal, and try to influence employees through other superficial means that don’t yield progress. Companies that excel at collaboration, in contrast, realize it involves instilling the right mindset: widespread respect for colleagues’ contributions, openness to experimenting with others’ ideas, and sensitivity to how one’s actions may affect teammates and outcomes. What’s more, these firms have established programs to help employees develop those attitudes.

In her research, Gino, an HBS professor, has identified six types of training techniques used by such programs. They teach people to (1) listen, not talk; (2) practice empathy; (3) be comfortable giving and receiving feedback; (4) lead and follow; (5) speak with clarity and avoid abstractions; and (6) have...

Employees who differ from most of their colleagues in religion, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, and generation often hide important parts of themselves at work for fear of negative consequences. This makes it difficult to know how these employees feel and what they want, which makes them vulnerable to leaving their organizations. The key to inclusion is understanding who your employees really are. Many organizations conduct employee engagement surveys, but most neglect to segment the data they collect by criteria such as gender, ethnicity, generation, geography, tenure, and role in the organization, missing opportunities to identify issues among smaller groups. Focus groups are another way to gain deeper insight into what employees care about. They are best facilitated by a third party with no vested interest in the outcome so that employees can speak freely. A one-on-one discussion with a manager can be the most powerful tool for finding out what...

Many executives assume that customer data can give you an unbeatable edge. The more customers you have, the more data you can gather, and that data, when analyzed, allows you to offer a better product that attracts more customers. You can then collect even more data, repeating the cycle until you eventually marginalize your competitors. But this thinking is usually wrong. Though the virtuous cycles of data-enabled learning may look similar to those of network effects—wherein an offering increases in value to users as more people adopt it and ultimately garners a critical mass of users that shuts out competitors—they are not as powerful or as enduring.

Nevertheless, under the right conditions, customer data can help build competitive defenses. It all depends on whether the data offers high and lasting value, is proprietary, leads to improvements that can’t be easily imitated, or generates insights that can be quickly incorporated. Those characteristics do...

Firms often downsize because it is seen as a way to reduce costs, adjust structures, and create leaner, more efficient workplaces. But new research indicates that downsizing may actually increase the likelihood of bankruptcy. The research team examined 2010 data from 4,710 publicly traded firms and determined whether they declared bankruptcy in the subsequent 5-year period. After controlling for known potential drivers of both downsizing and bankruptcy, as well as numerous other factors, they found that downsizing firms were twice as likely to declare bankruptcy as firms that did not downsize.

Let’s be honest: It’s been a terrible year for most people, though not everyone experienced the trauma of the pandemic, the ongoing reckoning around racial inequalities, and the contentious U.S. election in the same way. Since the pandemic began, there’s been a call for managers to be understanding and lenient with employees as they navigate the stressors the global crisis has brought on. Now that restrictions are lifting in many parts of the world, some managers are wondering how to continue to balance compassion for the people on their team and accountability for getting work done. The good news is, experts say that it’s possible to have both. Rather than thinking of it as a trade-off between compassion and accountability, think about how you can combine the two. Here are eight steps managers can take to meet goals while also being caring.

Succeeding in digital transformation begins with platform selection — finding the right constellation of basic apps plus the ability to rapidly regenerate error-free, running code to support a business’ changing processes. Small and midsize businesses’ front office software is under-configured for a digital transformation. Many companies have old software suites that no longer fit the demands of a work-from-anywhere world. Also, their systems are not well integrated, causing extra work for users who often wrestle long hours with their software, often on personal time, to support what should be simple business processes.

High turnover, the shift to hybrid work, and continued uncertainty about the future mean that your entire workforce may be feeling unmoored. These upheavals mean that even long-time employees — who have spent years building their reputations within an organization — may now feel they’re starting from scratch. That has enormous implications for performance, innovation, and well-being. By seizing this fall as a moment to re-onboard everyone, managers can boost team cohesion, performance, and well-being. The author presents five steps managers should take.

A certain level of self-doubt is good. It can push us to work harder. But when it manifests as imposter syndrome — that nagging voice in the back of your head, clouding your mind with doubt and insecurity — it can backfire. If you’ve recently been promoted or found the job of your dreams but find yourself overtaken by imposter syndrome, there are a few ways to dial down the self-criticism and grow in your career.

Great logos help sell products. But what kind of logo is right for your brand? Researchers analyzed 597 companies to answer this question. They discovered descriptive logos (those that include visual design elements that communicate the type of product) more favorably affect consumers’ brand perceptions than nondescriptive ones (logos that are not indicative of the type of product). They also found that descriptive logos are more likely to improve brand performance — unless consumers associate your product with sad or unpleasant things, in which case a nondescriptive logo is probably better.

As humans we want to feel motivated and to find meaning in the things that we do. It’s a part of our biology. In fact, there’s a part of our brains called the seeking system that creates the natural impulses to learn new skills and take on challenging but meaningful tasks. When we follow these urges, we receive a jolt of dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to motivation and pleasure, which make us want to engage in these activities even more. And, when our seeking systems are activated, we feel more motivated, purposeful, and zestful. We feel more alive. Exploring, experimenting, learning: this is the way we’re supposed to live and work. The problem is, too many workers aren’t able to partake in these activities because the way our organizations are run is preventing them from doing so. To help employees become more motivated, leaders need to work on three areas: making employees feel comfortable about expressing themselves, creating an environment in which...

Busyness isn’t always a great feeling — but new research shows that it might have some major upsides. In this piece, the authors describe new studies that found a busy mindset can actually increase self-control, leading to improved decision-making in a variety of contexts. They suggest that this boost stems from an increase in perceived self-importance: when you feel busy, that can make you feel important, and thus alter how you make decisions. These findings have implications for marketers targeting busy consumers, as well as for policymakers interested in fostering people’s self-control.

Sometimes the perfect job isn’t down the street, but thousands of miles away. Whether or not you’re willing to relocate for it, however, is not always a straightforward calculation. There’s a temptation to weigh the pros and cons on an Excel spreadsheet, but you need to think holistically about your personal and professional satisfaction. Consider the lifestyle the new location affords or lacks. What will the change mean to your family? How difficult will it be to find a community in the new place? Will your spouse or partner be able to find meaningful work? If not, how big a setback will it be? Think, too, about the opportunity within the context of your long-term career path. What’s the next move after this? Finally, it’s important to have an exit plan if the worst-case scenario — you and/or your family are miserable — materializes. You need an escape hatch.

A lot of people feel exhausted when it comes to vacations—planning around personal commitments and school breaks, and deciding how to delegate major projects or put work on hold. But vacations don’t have to be a big time commitment to be significant to your health and happiness. Micro-vacations are times off that require you to use a day or less of vacation time. Because of their shorter duration, they typically require less effort to plan and don’t require you to coordinate the handing off of work. Plus, you can take them more often. If you’re looking to take micro-vacations, consider these options: Take a two- to three-day trip to someplace local. Or, take a day or afternoon off to finish those personal to-do items you’ve been postponing. Leave work for an hour or two to socialize with friends, or if taking the time is still an issue, work remotely in a serene location to give yourself the feel of a holiday while you’re still on task.