People often shrink themselves to fit past expectations, struggling between a natural desire to belong and the need to grow. Fear of being labeled negatively or appearing difficult causes many to remain silent and let demeaning comments slide. However, diminishing oneself shortchanges everyone and signals that poor behavior is acceptable.
If they choose to, business leaders can get all kinds of advice about how to steer their companies from books, conferences, and even magazines like this one. Recently, however, a small but growing cohort of leaders has gone further: They have been willing to open up about the spiritual foundations that guide their actions and outlook.
When you are an executive facing a new challenge, one of the hardest questions can be who to ask for support. The more senior you are at your organization, the less you can count on your own manager or leadership to fill the gap. When it comes to external advisors, executive coaches, therapists, and consultants can all offer help, but they aren’t interchangeable.
Every November, I pull out my personality assessments and reread them. I collect them the way some people collect wine: enthusiastically, and with strong opinions about each one. Blame my Enneagram 7 for signing me up for every one, and my ENTJ for arguing with every report.
Your workplace behaviors and habits often return through reputation, relationships and opportunities. This phenomenon, known as “workplace karma,” acts as a metaphor for practical mechanisms like trust and reciprocity. Research shows that kindness spreads and respectful treatment influences leadership perception.
