It doesn’t take much to make people feel left out
Naomi Eisenberger, a social neuroscience researcher at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), designed an experiment to find out what goes on in the brain when people feel rejected by others. She had volunteers play a computer game while their brains were scanned by fMRI machines. Subjects thought they were playing a ball-tossing…
Self-starters don’t wait to be empowered
After my speech on Building Leadership Presence for a large business organization, an audience member raised her hand to comment: “I’m new to the company, but there is one change that I wish we’d make. I think we need a mentor program where we’d be paired with an experienced manager to have someone ‘show us…
How skilled are you at expressing your authentic self?
You are talented, skilled, and highly competent, with positive business results that have been responsible for your career progress to this point. What more could you possibly need? At a certain level, the force that will catapult you to more senior positions of leadership may have less to do with the abilities that got you…
Learn to unlearn to detach yourself from the status quo and move forward
Want to add real value to your team, your company, or your profession? Want to stay influential and relevant? Want to enhance your reputation as an effective and transparent leader? Then learn to unlearn - and share those lessons. Not that it’s easy to do so. We become psychologically attached to the status quo because…
But stay open to the unpredictable and exciting opportunities life has in store for you
Working with clients as a therapist in private practice and now as an executive coach, I’ve learned some valuable but unorthodox lessons about goal setting: Don’t focus on building up your areas of weakness. Talents overlooked may atrophy, and weaknesses – regardless of how much effort is put into trying to improve them – will…
It takes time and repetition to create a new habit. But it’s worth it
Although there are many nonverbal strategies that help you look like a leader, there are gender, situational, and cultural differences that impact their effectiveness. But one body language truth is universal: You are the most convincing, motivating and charismatic when your body language reflects your best authentic self. You probably already realize that it isn’t…
The simple act of touching adds personal warmth to business communications
If you found a coin, would you give it to a person who approached you and said it was theirs? Would it make any difference if the person approaching you touched your arm when they made their request? Well, for most people, the answers are no ... and yes! Only 23 per cent of the…
Smiles release serotonin and dopamine in your brain, and that helps improve your mood
Whenever I give a presentation on the impact of body language in the workplace, I always include a section on the power of a smile. That’s because research shows that facial expressions send feedback from your face to your left frontal cortex, which in turn triggers the release of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine into…
The most effective communicators come across as both confident and caring
A few years ago, I conducted research in the United States, Europe and Canada to see how gender differences in communication were displayed in the workplace. The first thing I found was that both men and women identified the same sets of strengths and weaknesses in themselves and each other. Top three communication strengths for…
6 changes you can make to your body language that can turn that networking experience from frightening to fun
Imagine that you are at a networking event with the intent of doing business with some of the other attendees. In your mind, how’s that going for you? Do you see yourself socializing with ease and grace, or – if you are anything like me – has the very word “networking” increased your stress level…