Business
Case Study: One Employee Went Freelance. Now Everyone Wants the Same Deal (via HBR)
There’s too much context to summarize here, but this segment is always my favorite in HBR. To freelance or to have iron-clad contracts with FTEs — not a simple choice. Two contributors present cogent arguments on either side.
Coaching
Helping People Change (HBR book bundle on performance management)
- The best antidote to narcissism and self-centered thinking that seems to be all around us is to care for others (a.k.a. be the change you want to see in the world).
- Great coaches inspire, encourage, and support others in the pursuit of their dreams and the achievement of their full potential. They help people articulate their ideal self and a personal vision for the future.
- Resonant relationships form the foundation of effective coaching. Emotions are contagious.
- Asking evocative, open, and positive questions awakens our parasympathetic nervous system and makes us more receptive to change (coaching with compassion). Asking negative questions or only focusing on fixing problems awakens our sympathetic nervous system and makes our focus more narrow (coaching for compliance).
- Effective change involves being open to new ideas and being at a tipping point along the path of sustained, desired change.
- Always be on the lookout for coachable moments, while being aware of common blockers for change.
- To build an environment of positive change:
- Encourage people to coach each other
- Provide access to a variety of helpers/coaches
- Equip other helpers to influence, build relationships, and teach others to coach
Presentation skills
What the Best Presenters Do Differently (via HBR)
- Presenters open PowerPoint. Storytellers craft a narrative.
- Presenters use text. Storytellers love pictures.
- Presenters dump data. Storytellers humanize it.
- Presenters are predictable. Storytellers surprise audiences.
- Presenters practice silently. Storytellers rehearse out loud.
Psychology
Research: Flexible Work Can Dampen Motivation (via HBR)
Our society has norms of typical working hours, and even if employers offer flexible working hours, there may be cues that have us second-guessing how we should be spending our time. Although I don’t think it’s the author’s intent, the vibe I got was “here are tips to help you be more intrinsically motivated to work on weekends, holidays, or evenings.”
Research: How to Power Through Boring Tasks (via HBR)
Tangential emersion — give your brain something engaging to do while doing a boring task. For example, listen to a 2-minute sound bite (engaging) while brushing your teeth (boring).
Relationships
When to Cooperate with Colleagues and When to Compete (via HBR)
“The ability to navigate workplace relationships can make or break your career. Though it’s easy to view them as simply negative or positive, virtually all are a mix of both and require careful thought to manage. The trick is to step back and dispassionately analyze what type of relationship you’re in—conflict, competition, independence, cooperation, or collaboration. Where on that spectrum you and your colleague fall will be determined by the degree to which your interests align—or clash. The more in sync interests are, the more positive a relationship is. Each type calls for a different set of tactics, but even the negative relationships, if handled appropriately, can still yield rewards.”
Teams
Do We Still Need Teams? (via HBR)
- “Research consistently shows that teams underperform, despite all the extra resources they have. That’s because problems with coordination and motivation typically chip away at the benefits of collaboration.”
- The article does lay out some salient points about the downsides for coordination and alignment, especially as companies adopt hybrid schedules and individuals demand more autonomy.
- An alternative is a “co-acting group,” which the article outlines some ground rules for when they’d be more useful than teams and how to operate them.