Usted es me todos: Best of The Issue: Give Yourself a Break

August 21, 2018

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Give Yourself a Break

From Amy Bernstein
Editor, Harvard Business Review

What do you do when you screw up at work? Most of us respond in one of two ways: We get defensive or we beat ourselves up. Neither is particularly helpful or healthy. In the first case, you're not learning from your mistakes; in the second, you're undervaluing your contributions. As a too-frequent practitioner of the second response, I was thrilled to read that research argues for another approach altogether: self-compassion. In “Give Yourself a Break,” Serena Chen notes that people who are less judgmental of themselves are better positioned to learn and grow.

When it comes to companies learning and growing, leaders like to say they value inquisitiveness. The reality is, most stifle it at every turn. In “The Business Case for Curiosity,” Francesca Gino argues that this behavior is rooted in the fear that asking probing questions will slow down processes and introduce unnecessary risk. She finds that curiosity is quite healthy for organizations. When channeled constructively, it will bolster your team's flexibility and resilience.

Trevor Noah, the subject of our Life's Work interview, comes across as a guy who's learned a lot about managing himself and his team as they deal with the constant pressure of four-days-a-week television. His approach is to “create an environment where it feels less like working and more like having fun with a purpose.” Asked if he had doubts about taking over the job of hosting Comedy Central's The Daily Show after Jon Stewart, he replies with surprising modesty: “If you don't have doubts about a challenge like that, you're extremely arrogant or extremely stupid.”

Finally, at a moment when it can feel like real leadership is in short supply, it's especially poignant to read the great Doris Kearns Goodwin on Abraham Lincoln. In this feature (drawn from her new book, Leadership in Turbulent Times), Goodwin explains how America's 16th president sold a highly skeptical nation on a radical proposal: the Emancipation Proclamation. He won over his divided cabinet, the army, and voters by drawing on his deep reserves of humility, empathy, and self-awareness — a combination that adds up to extraordinary emotional intelligence. I hope you'll give the article a read; it'll remind you that in troubled times, great leaders often emerge.

Thanks for reading,
Amy Bernstein

In the Issue:

Give Yourself a Break: The Power of Self-Compassion

by Serena Chen

When we experience a setback at work, we tend to either become defensive and blame others, or berate ourselves. Neither response is helpful. Research shows that we should respond instead with self-compassion. People who do this demonstrate three behaviors: they are kind rather than judgmental about their mistakes; they recognize that failures are a shared human experience; and they allow themselves to feel bad, but they don't let negative emotions take over.

The Business Case for Curiosity

by Francesca Gino

If you want to bolster curiosity at your company, use these five strategies: hire for curiosity, model inquisitiveness, emphasize learning goals, let workers explore and broaden their interests, and have “Why?” “What if...?” and “How might we...?” days. Doing so will help your organization adapt to uncertain market conditions and external pressures, boosting its success.

Life's Work: An Interview with Trevor Noah

by Alison Beard

As a biracial kid growing up in apartheid-era South Africa, comedian Trevor Noah learned to confront political injustice by poking fun at it. Now, at age 34, he brings that same sensibility to a world-touring stand-up act and a gig hosting the Daily Show — a role he took over from Jon Stewart and quickly made his own.

Lincoln and the Art of Transformative Leadership

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Before issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln needed the support of his cabinet, the army, and the American people. How did he gain it? The short answer: emotional intelligence. His own keen sense of it allowed him to mediate among factions and sustain the spirits of his countrymen. Among the lessons from his approach: Acknowledge when failed policies demand a change in direction; anticipate contending viewpoints, refuse to let past resentments fester; and establish trust.