Emotional Intelligence

What’s in a name? One CEO found out

September 7, 2015

From 1982 to 1987, John Hewitt joined forces with Mel Jackson to provide tax-preparation services in southern Virginia. By 1988, they decided to expand into North Carolina. They soon learned that they couldn’t keep the name of their firm, Mel Jackson Tax Service, because a tax firm with a similar name already existed in North Carolina. This didn’t sit well with John Hewitt, the company’s owner …

Show compassion and reap rewards

August 5, 2015

The Dalai Lama offers surprising advice for leaders who worry about becoming too self-centered. His Holiness actually doesn’t see self-regard as entirely bad. “We need to be somewhat self-­centered in order to succeed in life,” he says.

Harness empathy to win allies

August 4, 2015

What’s the single most important skill that a leader needs to run a big organization? Empathy. At least that’s what Jeremy Darroch thinks. He’s the CEO of Sky, a London-based satellite broadcasting and media company.

It’s OK to showcase your imperfections

July 30, 2015

Some executives equate leading with infallibility. They assume that they must project an intimidating I-know-­everything superiority to earn the respect of their team. Yet attempting to know it all is an exercise in futility.

What it takes to be confident

June 17, 2015
Confidence is not what you know. It’s not what you have. It’s a state of mind.

What’s known about forgiveness

May 27, 2015
The science on forgiveness only dates back to 1989. Here’s some of what’s known.

What’s your GRIT rating?

April 30, 2015
Heard of GRIT? Here’s your primer on the formula by Paul Stoltz, who studies resilience and is CEO of training company Peak Learning.

Want something? Ask 5 things first

April 21, 2015
When you ask for something that will advance your career, ask yourself these things first.

For women, a guide to giving fear the boot

March 30, 2015
One of the key differences between the genders, Dana Theus explained in her recent webinar, Woman’s Guide to Communicating With Confidence, is that women tend not to have grown up being pushed into risk-taking the way men are. As a result, women overall take more considered risks, waiting for certainty before thinking, “The time has come. I’m going for it.” But that just might keep a career stuck in neutral.

Look beyond brute force to win

March 17, 2015

For years, Chris McCormack viewed Mike Tyson as a better boxer than Muhammad Ali. McCormack is a triathlete, two-time winner of the Ironman World Championship and a boxing fan. She admired Tyson’s savage force in the ring. But McCormack reassessed her opinion after a friend urged her to study Ali’s career.