Can the words we choose when seeking information from people affect the way they answer? Yes. Can the words we use actually change what we think we saw? Yes. According to Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, we see what we are programmed to see. In the 1970s she and her colleagues conducted a series of experiments showing how memory can...
Make it easy for your team to respond and to give information. Ask questions that are easy to answer. Don’t ask – “Will we launch on time?” Instead, ask “How likely is it that we will launch on time?” David gives us a great example of how that might work from inside a submarine.
Leadership Nudge® 210 – I Don’t Know
June 20, 2018by Sandy Wilmer
Here are 3 words every leader should say, (even though a lot of them resist saying it) – “I don’t know.” Even when you know, every once in a while, practice saying “I don’t know.” If you can’t say the words, then your team can’t say them. If your team can’t safely say they don’t...
Leadership Nudge™ 192 – Give a Compliment
February 14, 2018by Sandy Wilmer
I’m here with Andy Worshek. Andy and I implemented Intent-Based Leadership® on-board the USS Santa Fe. He’s here with this week’s Leadership Nudge. Andy Too often, when we give a compliment it’s simply a prelude to bad news. This week, here’s the nudge: Find someone on your team and give them a compliment;. That’s it...
Leadership Nudge™ 170 – Stop Telling People What to Do
September 13, 2017by Sandy Wilmer
Stop telling people what to do. We tell people what to do so often, that we don’t even recognize when we’re doing it. So, here’s a good activity: Here in the men’s room we have a sign that says: “Please do not flush paper towels”. Why? Someone probably flushed paper towels down the toilet and...
Leadership Nudge® 74 – Give A Compliment. PERIOD
November 10, 2015by Sandy Wilmer
For this weeks’ Leadership Nudge I want to give you a simple challenge that your team will appreciate. Too many times when we give a compliment it is simply a prelude to delivering bad news or a negative performance critique or maybe an attempt to get more out of our teams. There is nothing wrong...
Leadership Nudge® 57 – Ask How You Feel, Not Fail
November 3, 2015by Sandy Wilmer
Good leadership is more like a sports camp than a history course. Our leadership abilities grow when we practice new skills. Like physical training, we need to practice the principles we learn. For example, we encourage you to develop leaders, not followers. One way we suggest you do this is to avoid the temptation...