The Insightful Leader
A Weekly Newsletter
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Tips for a Productive 2023
Sent to subscribers on January 4, 2023
Happy New Year! Are you a New Year’s resolution kind of person? If so, we’ve got some tips for you on how to start off strong. And even if you’re not into specific time-bound resolutions, it’s all still good advice.
Begin each day with a tailored to-do list
Here’s some advice for those who want to... more
Our Most Popular Leadership Advice of the Year
Sent to subscribers on December 19, 2022
Tis the season for looking back over the past year and … making lists!The Insightful Leader didn’t want to be left out of this time-honored tradition, so we’re taking a look at our most popular newsletters of the past year. Thank you all for reading in 2022, and best wishes for 2023!
The Insightful... more
In a Crisis, Trust Your Team
Sent to subscribers on December 14, 2022
When a crisis emerges for your team, is your instinct to jump in and start fixing things?While this very natural impulse to take control may seem like sound leadership, it can end up causing more problems than it solves, says Colonel Fred Maddox, an assistant professor at the U.S. Army War College... more
How to Engage a Disengaged Employee
Sent to subscribers on December 7, 2022
Have your colleagues become kind of blah about work these days? Whether you call it quiet-quitting or just a pandemic-induced dip in morale, many leaders are struggling to motivate their teams to do their best work.But it doesn’t need to be that way, explains Leigh Thompson, a professor of... more
Crypto’s Future: Swifter, Stricter Regulation
Sent to subscribers on November 30, 2022
By now, we all know that the cryptocurrency exchange FTX imploded in spectacular fashion earlier this month. For those eager to understand what happened, there’s no shortage of explainer articles, (including this helpful one that explains it as if you were a 5-year-old because, well, that’s where... more
How Anger Changes How We Shop
Sent to subscribers on November 16, 2022
Thanksgiving is, somehow, next week. Which means it’s also Black Friday next week. And whether the thought of that consumer free-for-all fills you with glee or dread, it’s likely evoking some sort of strong emotion.
And those emotions—or any others you may be feeling while you’re shopping—can... more
Tempted By New Tech? Ask Yourself this Question First.
Sent to subscribers on November 9, 2022
Care for an NFT with your morning coffee?
Starbucks is certainly hoping so. The company recently announced that it will offer these digital stamps as part of its reward program. The NFTs can be redeemed for products or experiences, such as interactive games or coffee-related educational programs.... more
Don’t Overestimate Your Self-Control
Sent to subscribers on November 2, 2022
Halloween was two days ago. So I’m guessing a lot of you are reading this at your desk, knowing that the candy bowl in the break room is still overflowing, or you’re at your kitchen table, working within eyeshot of your kids’ bag-o-goodies.
While Kellogg Insight’s editors support a healthy amount... more
Leadership lessons from Liz Truss’s downfall
Sent to subscribers on October 26, 2022
Liz Truss’ spectacularly short and disastrous time as British prime minister holds many lessons for politicians and economists, no doubt. (Note: try not to tank your country’s economy.)
But what about more general leadership lessons? Her 44-day tenure got us thinking about leaders who make major... more
An Underappreciated Way to Persuade People
Sent to subscribers on October 19, 2022
If you’re trying to convince someone to do something—whether that’s buying your company’s product or buying into your organization’s new policy—you can take one of two general approaches: you can try to entice people by making the offer more attractive, or you can focus on removing barriers and... more
The Case for Gender-Balanced Teams
Sent to subscribers on October 12, 2022
By now, managers likely understand the importance of having gender-diverse teams, particularly for collaborative tasks. But some may consider it more of an ethical or reputational issue than an actual factor in the quality of work the team is producing. Yet new research shows that, at least when it... more
How Stress Can Derail Your Career
Sent to subscribers on October 5, 2022
Startup founders excel, in part, because of their megawatt charisma, optimism, and self-assurance.
But these very traits can morph into problematic behavior when times get tough, according to a recent article in Harvard Business Review by Carter Cast, a clinical professor of strategy, and Brooke... more
How to Manage Disengaged Employees
Sent to subscribers on September 28, 2022
The phenomenon of so-called “quiet quitting” has been all over the news recently. The notion is that employees are rejecting the idea of going above and beyond at work; “saying no to hustle culture,” as The Wall Street Journal put it.
For some, that may simply mean setting reasonable boundaries... more
How to Be a Better Mentor
Sent to subscribers on September 21, 2022
We all know how great it can be to have a professional mentor. For that reason, the advice we hear about mentorship often focuses on ways people can find mentors and maintain good relationships with them.
But the flip side is equally important: What does it take to be a good mentor?
Mentoring can... more
How Useful Is Failure, Really?
Sent to subscribers on September 14, 2022
No one likes to fail. Yet most of us have been told over and over that there are great lessons to be learned from failure. We just need to “fail smart” or “fail fast.”
But is that true? Do we really learn a lot from our failures?Not as much as we may think, at least when it comes to our own... more
The Cost of Disagreeing with Your Boss about Politics
Sent to subscribers on September 7, 2022
A few weeks ago, I covered a study that shows how opting to not give an opinion on hot-button topics can backfire. People of all political stripes are suspect of those who try to avoid thorny topics, the research found. In fact, people are less trusting of those who try to stay out of the fray than... more
Tips for Naming Your Brand
Sent to subscribers on August 31, 2022
I don’t get the opportunity to start this email with a Shakespeare quote often, which is a shame. So I’m going for it today: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
But just how universal is that truism? Does it hold when you’re coming up with a name for a new brand?
Paul Earle, an adjunct... more
How Can Leaders Dissuade Cheating?
Sent to subscribers on August 24, 2022
Let’s talk cheating today. No leader wants to discover that someone on their team has been deceitful, be it fudging time cards or sales stats. So how can leaders set conditions that dissuade cheating at work?
In looking at this question, Maryam Kouchaki, an associate professor of management and... more
Does Your Brand Need to Exist?
Sent to subscribers on August 17, 2022
Brands are everywhere these days. At the grocery store, sure. But also in your Instagram feed, on banners sponsoring your favorite sports team, even on LinkedIn where people are cultivating their personal brands.
So what’s a new brand to do if it’s trying to break through all that noise?
“The world... more
Hiding Your Political Views Can Backfire
Sent to subscribers on August 10, 2022
When a thorny political topic comes up at work, do you jump into the fray to express yourself or do you prefer to stay out of it? For many of us, the second option seems safer.
While there’s an intuitive appeal to staying out of controversial issues in the hopes of dodging conflict, Ike Silver, an... more