1: Google’s People Analytics group wanted to understand how to build the perfect team.

Google has consistently been ranked by Fortune magazine as one of America’s top workplaces.

This result was no accident. “Even as it had grown to fifty-three thousand employees, Google had devoted enormous resources to studying workers’ happiness and productivity,” Charles Duhigg writes in Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity.

The People Analytics … continue reading

1: “Julia Rozovsky was twenty-five years old and uncertain what to do with her life when she decided it was time for a change,” Charles Duhigg writes in Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity.

After graduating from Tufts, Julia worked for a consulting firm, but she didn’t find it satisfying. She then worked as a researcher for two professors at Harvard, which Julia enjoyed, but wasn’t … continue reading

1: Why do some seniors thrive in nursing homes while others experience rapid physical and mental declines?

The answer may surprise you.

Those who flourish tend to be those who rebel “against the rigid schedules, set menus, and strict rules that the nursing homes tried to force upon them,” Charles Duhigg writes in Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity.

What do researchers call this group? The … continue reading

1: When Eric Quintanilla told his wife and his mother he was considering joining the Marines, neither thought it was a good idea.

The night before, he talked to a former high school classmate at a party. That friend had just finished basic training and was twenty pounds lighter and ripped, Charles Duhigg writes in Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity.

“He was telling jokes and … continue reading

1: Why pay attention to the stories you are telling yourself?

And why devote the time, effort, and energy to change these stories?

It’s not going to be easy, Crucial Conversations authors Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory warn us.

There are two reasons you may want to change the stories you are telling yourself:

Reason #1: Bad results.

Maybe you … continue reading

1: Author Joseph Grenny had been married for just a few years when his travel schedule became hectic.
He and his wife, Celia, had two young toddlers, and she served as the sole parent when Joseph was on the road.
One evening, he arrived home from a long trip, Joseph and his co-authors write in their classic book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.
“Celia was … continue reading

“Nothing in this world is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” —William Shakespeare
1: “Even if you don’t realize it, you are telling yourself stories,” Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory write in their classic book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.
Even right now. Even as you are reading this.
Yesterday, we looked … continue reading

1: Maria is mad because her co-worker Louis took over the presentation to their boss.

They had worked on the presentation together and had agreed they would each present different parts.

But once the meeting started, that’s not what happened.

“She’s feeling hurt but is worried that if she says something to Louis, she’ll look too emotional,” Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and … continue reading

1: Interested in learning the secrets of life?

Searching for pure truth?

Would you like to fill your soul “with an understanding of love that knows no boundaries?” Diane Button asks in her book  What Matters Most: Lessons the Dying Teach Us About Living.

Answers to these questions can come from spending time with those near death.

As an end-of-life doula, Diane spends many hours with people in their … continue reading

1: Maria is mad.

She’s a copywriter at a mid-sized company.  She and her co-worker Louis just reviewed the latest draft of a proposal with their boss.

“During the meeting, they were supposed to be jointly presenting their ideas,” Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory write in their classic book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.

“But … continue reading