Look, I've been in this business long enough to see organizations throw serious money at leadership development programs that deliver about as much impact as a chocolate teapot. It's frustrating, honestly: both for the companies writing the checks and for those of us who genuinely care about developing great leaders. Here's the thing: global companies…
I was having coffee with a CEO last week who told me something that stopped me in my tracks. "Drew," she said, "I used to think I was a great leader because I could weather any storm. But now? I'm realizing that just surviving the storm isn't enough anymore. I need to learn how to…
When I tell people what I do for a living, they often respond, “My boss needs your help – they are a complete psycho.” In reality, that’s probably not true: Psychopathy in the general population is around 1 in 100. The chances that your Network Systems Manager at the data center is a psychopath are pretty…
Slowly but surely, the world of non-essential services is starting to contemplate and process the transition from working at home to being back in the workplace. Under the guidance and recommendations of public health groups, many people are starting to make the mental shift back to the idea of working in a group setting and…
You have likely heard it a hundred times before – the Golden Rule – Treat others how you want to be treated. You may have seen it in Facebook posts, as an inspirational quote, or even in a hotel TV commercial. The basic idea is that if you treat other people as you would want…
One of the great things about the workplace is that it throws us into a social environment where we are required to work alongside, communicate with, and get along with, people from a broad range of backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and belief systems. As a result, you could well be working alongside someone who has very…
In recent months there has been a significant uptick in the discourse around hardiness and resilience. While neither of these are new topics, it seems like something has shifted, and more attention is being paid to these, as well as other aspects of workplace stress, than has been in the past. This is a really,…
Why is it that some people are better at handling stress than others? Why do some people believe they have a great deal of control over their lives, while others feel that life is just something that happens to them? Why, when one person sees an insurmountable challenge, does someone else sees the same situation…
If one of your commitments for 2021 is to read more (an admirable goal), here are some suggestions for learning more about emotional intelligence. I originally published this blog post in 2014 with just four books, and those selections still hold today. Over time I have added more books, each one of which offers something…
Check out this podcast from my colleague and collaborator Glenn Taylor In this podcast I talk about emotional intelligence and its role in effective leadership, manipulation, and cognitive biases – among other things. I hope you like it! #12. Emotional Intelligence and Leadership with Drew Bird