ConceptsNest

Both science and common sense tell us we should avoid discussing topics at work that incite emotion and make us irrational. Hundreds of behavioral science studies show that people rarely understand the true intentions of others. Two main reasons exist. On one hand, we all exhibit thinking biases, and these biases distort how we interpret what others tell us. On the other hand, even if we as listeners take pains to counter our biases and think correctly, emotions aroused by controversial, hot-button topics, can deplete abilities to reason . This two-fold assault on the mental strength or cognitive control can lead to misunderstandings and getting viewed as a threat. For all those reasons, it is essential we appreciate the consequences of raising, controversial, hot button topics in the wrong place or at the wrong time—especially at work. Unfortunately, many of us undermine the efforts to bring about meaningful change in organizations by deferring to non-empirical tactics that ignore t

The best team members you’ve ever worked with likely had one thing in common :  Strong self-management skills . As a manager, we don’t want to be pulled into double-checking every detail of a project or answering minute questions incessantly. After all, we have our  own  responsibilities to focus on.  The best employees are the ones who manage  themselves . How do we optimize for this? When hiring and training a team, we will need to pay attention to our potential team member’s self-management skills. Here are some self-management skills to look out for and continually hone within the team: 01: Do they know what to work on first? One of the most important self-management skills a team member can enact is how they manage their time . In particular, this means they internalize priorities well , and know precisely what to work on first . Our team can only make strong progress if everyone is each working on what is most important for the team, in any given moment. An employee with