Understand: The first step toward becoming rational is to understand our fundamental irrationality. There are two factors that should render this more palatable to our egos: nobody is exempt from the irresistible effect of emotions on the mind, not even the wisest among us; and to some extent irrationality is a function of the structure […]
One day toward the end of the year 432 BC, the citizens of Athens received some very disturbing news: representatives from the city-state of Sparta had arrived in town and presented to the Athenian governing council new terms of peace. If Athens did not agree to these terms, then Sparta would declare war. Sparta was […]
There has been an enormous amount of study, observation and research in the area of intelligence, particularly over the last twenty years. There are numerous books and an entire body of literature. Different words are sometimes used to describe the same things. Part of what I call spiritual intelligence some people may call emotional intelligence, […]
As expressed earlier, the four magnificent parts of our nature consist of body, mind, heart, and spirit. Corresponding to these four parts are four capacities, or intelligences, that all of us posses: our physical or body intelligence (PQ), our mental (IQ), our emotional intelligence (EQ) and our spiritual intelligence (SQ). These four intelligences represent our […]
Natural authority is the dominion of natural laws. You can’t ignore natural laws, and you have no choice but to operate by them. All actions have consequences. Like it or not, when we pick up one end of the stick we pick up the other. If you jump off a ten-story building, you can’t change […]
We’ve been discussing the wise use of the space between stimulus and response, our freedom to choose. What does this “wise use” mean? Where is wisdom? Basically, it means to live by principles or natural laws rather than going along with today’s culture of quick fix. Once Einstein saw the needle of a compass at […]
For half a century I’ve been involved in the subject of this book in many different contexts all around the world. If you were to ask me what one subject, one theme, one point, seemed to have the greatest impact upon people- what one great idea resonated deeper in the soul than any other-if you […]
AT LEAST FOUR DOMAINS of decision making are crucial for every venture. Although any company will face additional choices that are particular to its context, a start-up that has not wrestled with at least these four decisions is unlikely to create and capture value on a sustainable basis. Amazon’s story is illustrative. Customers Identifying customers […]
BELIEFS IN SEX DIFFERENCES have staying power partly because they uphold conventional gender norms, preserve the gender status quo, and require no upheaval of existing organizational practices or work arrangements. But they are also the path of least resistance for our brains. Three well-documented cognitive errors help explain the endurance of the sex-difference narrative. First, […]
Of course, at times you and your organization would be better served by keeping your cards close to your chest. In our negotiation classes, we teach strategies for handling hard questions without lying. Dodging, or answering a question you wish you had been asked, can be effective not only in helping you protect information you’d […]