1: Question: What’s the best way to boost the confidence of young scholars suffering from imposter syndrome?

It’s not what we might think.

When sociologists Jessica Collett and Jade Avelis paired entry-level academic women with experienced, inspirational mentors, they discovered an unwelcome irony: The younger scholars felt “more insecure and inadequate, through negative comparison with their uber-accomplished elders,” Oliver Burkeman writes in Meditations for Mortals. 

One of the … continue reading

1: Psychologist John Gottman can predict who will eventually get divorced a stunning 94 percent of the time.

In a pioneering 1992 study, John and his team interviewed fifty-two married couples.

They asked each couple “a variety of questions about how they met, why they decided to get married, and what changes their relationships had been through and observed them as they took part in a fifteen-minute discussion about a … 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 writer David Lodge once noted that 90 percent of what we call writing is actually reading,” David Brooks writes in his book How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen.

Because we read back over our work.  Continuously.  To make it better.  

Dealing with trauma is similar, David believes.  He calls this process “excavation.”  

“It’s going back and back over … continue reading

1: “Managers are thermometers, and leaders are thermostats,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in their book CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.

Managers react to what happens.  They solve problems and deal with the here and now.  They measure things and report out results. 

“Leaders influence their environment,” Carolyn, Scott, and Vikram write.  ”  They alter people’s … 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.  On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.

One of my goals for the year is to experiment with different approaches and tools to strengthen my relationships with the people I love and care about.  

We will … continue reading

1: What we feel impacts what we see.  And hear.

“People who are scared take in a scene differently,” David Brooks writes in his book How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen.

“Our ears, for example, immediately adjust to focus on high and low frequencies—a scream or a growl—rather than midrange frequencies, which include normal human speech,” David notes.  “Anxiety narrows … continue reading

1: It was the spring of 2019.  Author and columnist David Brooks‘s close friend Peter Marks was struggling with depression.

They had gathered for a weekend together.  “My wife noticed a change immediately,” David recounts.  “A light had gone out.  There was a flatness in his voice, a stillness in his eyes.” 

Pete told David what he already knew: “He wasn’t himself.  He was doing what he loved most—playing … 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

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.  On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.

One of my goals for the year is to experiment with different approaches and tools to strengthen my relationships with the people I love and care about.  

We will revisit … continue reading