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In his book, “Getting Things Done”, David Allen describes the “2 minutes rule”. It is a simple rule stating that a task, which can be done within two minutes, should be done immediately. Watering the plants, cleaning the desk, filling up coffee, replying to an email. If the task takes more than two minutes, you…
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Of course, this is a hammer, but can you guess how many people in the world wanted this kind of hammer in 2022? Difficult question? Perhaps you need to do some calculations for a rough estimation? I can spare you the effort. Here is the answer: 0 (zero). No one in the entire world wanted…
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Being interested, expressing affection, giving appreciation, finding opportunities for agreement, empathizing, apologizing and using humor are good ingredients for building lasting relationships. Countering these positive interactions, are the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. Dr. John Gottman uses this metaphor to describe four communication styles capable of destroying relationships: Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling. If you…
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In 1970, Dr. John Gottman conducted an interesting experiment: He observed married couples and how they argued in conflict situations. Nine years later, he contacted the couples again. It didn’t surprise him that some of the couples had separated, while others stayed together. Dr. Gottman was eager to answer one crucial question: Is there a…
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Threatening to punish or offering a reward? Which alternative is the best? According to Daniel Pink, none. For problems that require even rudimentary cognitive skills, the introduction of pressure, in form of punishment or reward, will narrow the focus, when in fact, finding a solution to most problems demands exactly the opposite: An open mind…
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No traffic light, no traffic signs, no road markings. The example shows our great ability to self-organize. We sometimes tend to believe that a standard is needed for everything, but how many of them are really necessary? Safety and quality are certainly among the things that cannot be put at risk. But for many other…
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I set out to find a reference to confirm that positive interactions can boost performance… and I found it: on Netflix. A reality show called 100 Humans. In this well humored reality show, 100 people from different backgrounds, ages, and genders are subjected to experiments to gain insights into human psychology. In the fifth episode…
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A study published in the Harvard Business Review in 2004 shows how positive interactions are crucial for innovation. In a publication entitled, “The role of positivity and connectivity in the performance of business teams,” academic researcher Emily Heaphy and consultant Marcial Losada lay out their findings. They examined 60 strategic business leadership teams at a…
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He made his coffee of instant coffee grounds, sugar, milk, and water, just like me. He used a large mug and stirred with a teaspoon, so did I. He took around 40 seconds to prepare his coffee, me too. His coffee tasted good, mine too. But there was a fundamental difference between our two cups…
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“I hated every minute of the training, but I said don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” Muhammad Ali Thinking about work as suffering now to enjoy later (during vacation or at retirement) is a world view shared by many. For the vast majority of us, it might…