Habits never really disappear. They’re encoded into the structures of our brain... The problem is that your brain can’t tell the difference between bad and good habits.

If we don’t trust one another, then we aren’t going to engage in open, constructive, ideological conflict... we’ll just continue to preserve a sense of artificial harmony.

Being proactive means more than taking initiative. It means we are responsible for our own lives.

Modeling empathy with others dramatically increases not only well-being, but also the performance of all involved.

If you are left with one piece of advice to increase your probability of creating an earned life, it is this: Ask for help. You need it more than you know.

It’s not difficult to do some real damage to our belief in ourselves if we don’t learn to manage those negative voices in our heads.

It wasn’t until I visited these remote offices that I realized ignoring the corporate culture of all the offices across the board was a mistake. Without a clear definition, behavioral guidelines, and expectations, I had allowed every location to have a different culture.

When we learn to connect with people through a clear frame, message, and tie-down – the listener not only is engaged but influenced.

It isn’t enough to know better. To grow, you must do better.

The key to building a thriving culture of collaboration is knowing when collaboration isn’t necessary.

It’s up to you to decide that you no longer want to feel intimidated, insecure, and inferior when presenting or asking for a price increase.

Recognizing the unsaid can be an uncomfortable experience, but there is necessary growth in that discomfort.

Like many virtuous habits, both the mentor and their mentee benefit when a leader can shut up and listen.

Our brain is masterful at creating stories, whether they are true or not. This characteristic creates blind spots and biases that we may be unaware of.

If there’s one thing our research makes clear, it’s that we don’t need to take ourselves so seriously in order to grapple with serious things.

We want our leaders to be caring and compassionate when they should be but also be tough, deceitful, and cunning when they need to be.

Those putting technology to work need to be in control of the technology we choose and how it works for us, not the other way around.

The focus of an authentic leader needs to be on the development of individuals and encouraging the development of future leaders.

Happiness is more than just showing up with a smile. It is the foundation for your personal and professional success.

Differences in certainty have an important impact on sustained attention. Uncertainty leads people to stick around to resolve what they don’t know.

A leader is someone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and has the courage to develop that potential.

The role of a leader is not to come up with all the great ideas. The role of a leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen.

Human beings have an innate drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.

If you want to be successful as a leader, you need to learn to become comfortable with uncertainty and make shifts continually.

Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.

Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.

Understanding a person's hunger and responding to it is one of the most potent tools you'll ever discover for getting through to anyone you meet in business or your personal life.

Without effort, your talent is nothing more than your unmet potential. Without effort, your skill is nothing more than what you could have done but didn't.

When preparing to communicate data, think through who will be involved in its approval, and tailor your approach to appeal to them.

For knowledge work to flourish, the workplace must be one where people feel able to share their knowledge! This means sharing concerns, questions, mistakes, and half-formed ideas.

It's not about replacing people with technology. It's about empowering people with technology for impact.