Repeated information is often perceived as more true than new information. This finding is called the illusory truth effect. Repetition influences beliefs about truth. If I told you that people only use 10% of their brain, you would probably believe me if you had heard it before. You’re not alone. Some research suggests that between …
Once upon a time, on a cold Christmas Eve, Mr. Scrooge was sitting in his counting house, watching his clerk in the cell beyond. Suddenly, a cheerful voice cried Merry Christmas, Uncle! The bearer of this voice was a bright-eyed and handsome fellow, Mr. Scrooge’s nephew. Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? …
Viktor Frankl observed that the primary motivation of an individual is to find meaning in life. Even in the most painful and dehumanizing situations, life has potential meaning. While we can’t avoid suffering, we always have the freedom to choose how to deal with it and move forward with renewed purpose. “Everything can be taken …
I’ve talked of purpose many times over the years. Today, I want to return to it and offer a different perspective. For many of us, the purpose provides us with a map to navigate life. Along with our set of values, it gives direction and meaning when making decisions and establishing objectives. But more importantly, …
Last week, I was on the subway on my way to work when a couple of people got on. Immediately, the woman next to me moved to a seat farther away from them and looked at them suspiciously. The reason was probably something to do with their appearance. It was obvious that they weren’t in …
With the beginning of the year, the time to make new resolutions comes. For some people, it’s actually a list of wishes, for others it’s about to plan the next steps towards a vision. A compass to guide their decisions. The why For that vision to be accomplished, we need to find out our why. …
This has been a tough year. Since the pandemic struck us, things had changed at many levels. In time, we have come to this new normal, which unfortunately seems like the old normal with more uncertainty. To make things worse, technology has changed the game for many of us, and it’s adding another layer of …
It’s been a long time since I wrote about women in leadership, but today I want to talk about women’s internal barriers and biases. And how they can prevent their access to leadership roles. Much is said about the number of women in top management positions, and it’s well-known the efforts of many governments and …
The other day in class, I was telling my students about the need to work in our self-awareness as a way to develop empathy and being able to understand others, and how this is especially important when we work. With the naivety of the age, some of them told me that in a working environment, …
Deciding is often a tension between a long-term want and a short-term need, thus most times is a difficult process where a second order thinking is needed to unravel hidden implications of our decision in the future, preventing unintentional outcomes to occur. The question is now how we can identify second order impacts. The straightest …
