1: “We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience,” said the educational reformer John Dewey.

Our ability to think, to reflect, to “think about our thinking” is integral to our ability to learn.

The term used to describe our ability to be aware of our thinking is called metacognition. 

Which author Anne-Laure Le Cunff calls “the forgotten secret to success” in her book Tiny Experiments… continue reading

1: We like systems.

“Few things are more appealing, when we’re hoping to change our lives, than a new system for doing so,”  Oliver Burkeman writes in Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts.

Perhaps our goal is to experience the peace and clarity that we believe meditation can bring.

We resolve to become meditators.

We begin by purchasing a book … continue reading

1: The year was 2007. Nokia controlled an astonishing 49% share of the mobile phone market.

Wowza.

What else happened that year? The iPhone was introduced.

Nokia’s “inability to adapt to swift technological changes ultimately led to their downfall, serving as a cautionary tale for leaders in the AI era,” Geoff Woods writes in The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions.

Nokia was unable to adapt … continue reading

1: “If you’ve ever seen a picture of your mother or father as a young adult, you know how startling it can be,” Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz write in The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.  

“They seem like people we might have met along the road rather than the parents who created us,” the authors observe.  “They often appear less burdened, more … continue reading

1: The Harvard Study of Adult Development is the longest in-depth longitudinal study of human life ever done.  The study has followed the lives of 724 individuals beginning when they were teenagers, and now spans over three generations and includes an additional 1,300 of their descendants.

“For eighty-four years (and counting), the Harvard Study has tracked the same individuals, asking thousands of questions and taking hundreds of measurements to find … continue reading

1: As human beings, we have a strong aversion to loss. 

“We fear and avoid loss far more than we seek gain,” Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less.

When it comes to personal growth, releasing our previous identity “can feel like an enormous loss,” Dan and Ben note.

“Letting go of who we’ve been, how … continue reading

1: The best CEOs understand that they must have a “hands-on” connection with each individual on their leadership team, McKinsey consultants Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.

“You invest time and energy with each, recognizing they’re all individuals,” comments Michael Fisher, CEO of the nonprofit Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.  … continue reading

1: It was the 1990s. DBS Group CEO Piyush Gupta was working at Citibank and was halfway through a three-year assignment within the bank.  

One afternoon, he sat down with his executive coach, who asked him to identify the A, B, and C players on the team he was leading.  

Piyush had some A players.  But many of those on his team were B and C players.

“The coach bluntly … continue reading

1: “Who are your top twenty most talented leaders?” 

That was the question McKinsey consultants Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra asked the CEO of an average-performing healthcare company. 

The CEO shared his list.

Next, they asked: “What are the twenty most important roles in the company?” 

Once again, he shared his list, but “with a speed that suggested he hadn’t given that answer nearly as much … continue reading

1: McKinsey consultants asked a CEO how much time he spent managing other people’s egos. 

Probably 20 to 30 percent of the time, he answered.

Then, they asked him what percent of time people spent managing his ego.

Silence.  

“Beyond the anecdote,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in CEO Excellence, “the research is clear: When CEOs are asked if they act as a … continue reading