1: Things aren’t going well between Oba and Mari.
They’re about to have a crucial conversation, one where the stakes are high, opinions differ, and emotions run strong.
Oba: “Mari, I was wondering if we could talk about what happened on Friday night—you know, when you got home late from work and went straight to our room?”
Mari: “Oh, you mean Friday night when you were sitting on the couch … continue reading
1: Tom was at a crossroads.
He was 55 years old and had worked at the same engineering company for 17 years.
“Throughout my career I’ve faced recurring interpersonal conflicts that resulted from frequent ‘blowups,'” Tom shares in Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High, by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, and their co-authors.
Tom took pride in getting things done, even if his approach damaged … continue reading
1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations.
At the end of each week, I’ve been sharing an idea from Tynan‘s book Superhuman by Habit about how to install specific, positive habits into your life.
So far, we’ve covered:
1: The retired chief of staff at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles was on a cruise in the South Seas.
“He noticed something surprising during the trip,” Erik Peterson and Tim Riesterer write in their terrific book Conversations That Win the Complex Sale.
Every time passengers left the boat to visit a port, the crew made sure everyone washed their hands with antibacterial soap before coming back on board.… continue reading
1: You’re angry. Lately, it feels like Phil keeps leaving the toughest or most unpleasant tasks for you to handle.
How do you respond?
You vent to your friends about always being the one who has to clean up the messes.
But what is it that you don’t mention?
“That you smile broadly when your boss compliments you for your willingness to take on challenging jobs,” Joseph Grenny and his … continue reading
1: Say you’re faced with a difficult challenge.
Or a big opportunity.
What if you approached it like a game?
This is the main idea behind Jane McGonigal’s SuperBetter framework, described in her book. It uses allies, quests, power-ups, bad guys, and epic wins to help you become more resilient and make real progress.
Yesterday, we looked at how radio producer Alex Goldman used SuperBetter to recover after … continue reading
1: Do you believe that all meaningful problems are deeply rooted and difficult to change?
David Yeager, a mindset researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, shares a story that reveals how deep people’s skepticism can run about the power of short interventions to improve people’s lives.
This week we’re examining multiple studies that show your mindset, or how you think about something, can have a profound impact … continue reading
1: Two-thirds of the housekeepers in Stanford Professor Alia Crum’s study believed they weren’t exercising regularly.
One-third said they got no exercise at all.
“Their bodies reflected this perception,” Kelly McGonigal notes in The Upside of Stress. “The average housekeeper’s blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio, and body weight were exactly what you’d expect to find if they were truly sedentary.”
Their perception was their reality.
Which is different from … continue reading
1: What we’ve taught about stress is wrong, Kelly McGonigal argues in her terrific book The Upside of Stress.
Despite what we’ve been taught and told, the latest science shows that stress, by itself, is not harmful. However, believing stress is harmful to your health is toxic.
So, how do you transform your view of stress? Are there actions you can take when you feel overwhelmed to direct your … continue reading
1: What is the effect of showing smokers graphic warnings on cigarette packs?
When doctors are asked this question, “In general, they believe that the images will decrease smokers’ desire for a cigarette and motivate them to quit,” writes Kelly McGonigal in her terrific book The Upside of Stress.
Actually, studies show the warnings have the opposite effect.
“The most threatening images (say, a lung cancer patient dying in … continue reading
