There’s a concept in neuroscience called “reward prediction error” that describes a phenomenon where dopamine — a neurotransmitter that plays a role in how we experience pleasure — is increased when a reward exceeds expectations, stays at baseline when rewards meet expectations, and is depressed
when rewards fall below expectations. ...

If an employee is feeling anxious about a project, then it’s probably worth addressing their concerns quickly for the sake of their well-being. 

If there’s a task that’s been taking up space in the back of your mind that you want to get out of the way, then it’s...

It’s okay to be wrong. 

It’s okay to not fully understand something. 

In both cases, you’re given the opportunity to update your understanding of the world and do better work as a result. 

An Ego that persuades you otherwise will deprive you of these opportunities, and even...

“Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it… Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.” — Steve...

When a friend of mine was trying to quit a bad habit, she would go from being highly motivated to highly discouraged during moments of relapse. 

When a colleague was eagerly trying to secure a new job, he would occasionally find himself discouraged after reflecting on how many applications...

Though we intend for every business plan to be effective, some flop. 

Though we intend for every new feature in an app to be helpful, some have the opposite effect. 

Though we intend for a sales call to bring us closer to closing on a sale, some end...

The smaller the business, the more salient customer experience issues tend to be:

If one of your five customers is having issues transacting with you, there’s a good chance that a) you’ll be aware of the issue, and b) you’ll feel the impact that the issue has on your revenue. ...

The Completionist prioritizes accomplishing every task they’re given — irrespective of how important the tasks are. 

The Hasty Mover prioritizes speed at all costs — downstream consequences be damned. 

The Goldilocks prioritizes sufficiency — taking on the tasks that matter and dropping the ones that don’t; aiming to...

The behaviors and attitudes we default to can make all the difference in our well-being and the well-being of others — both in and outside of work. 

What works may vary from person to person, but in general it’s more helpful to: 

Lead with curiosity instead of frustration.

...

A good way to spot a rash decision is to pose the following question at least a few times: “and then what?”. 

When faced with a time-sensitive decision or a flood of new information, it’s easy to want to make a spur-of-the-moment decision:

To commit before assessing if you...