 Preet Bharara, former U.S. attorney and author of the bestselling book Doing Justice, maintains that deep understanding of any subject involves asking questions. "Smart questions are good; dumb questions are even better." (Click to Tweet!)
So-called dumb questions, says Bharara, get to the bottom line. They "uncover superficial reasons, reveal bad logic, and expose fake experts." He says there is no exact right number of questions to ask, but he does know this: "Find the person in a new job who asks the fewest questions, and there’s your problem." Recounting a story from his own past, the author writes, "I can still remember the steely look of one of my early supervisors when I or others asked basic questions. Years later I still remember the chill of inadequacy I felt. But I didn’t let it stop me. I just took my inquiries elsewhere and asked incessant, annoying questions. And usually I got the answers I needed." What’s something useful you learned from asking a "dumb question"? Have you ever stopped yourself from asking a basic question and regretted it later? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. If you would like to learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication, check out our online learning programs.
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 Conflict can tear a family business to shreds. Even if you’re not part of one, consider the T.V. series Dallas and Succession, whose dog-eat-dog plots are often only slightly exaggerated. “What’s less often recognized,” says Josh Baron, Columbia professor and co-founder of BanyanGlobal Family Business Advisors, “is that too little conflict in a family business can have an equally destructive impact.”
“The impact of too much or too little conflict on both the family and their enterprise are almost identical,” says Baron. In both cases, the business can suffer from limited growth, poor decision-making, a loss of competitive edge—or even complete dissolution. All this can be a result of external conflict (shouting), or internal conflict (quiet seething). Baron says conflict is a “Goldilocks problem.” Both ends of the spectrum are unsustainable–so the middle way is best. The earth itself is in what astronomers refer to as a Goldilocks Zone—far enough from the sun not to overheat, close enough to sustain life. In a healthy family business “difficult issues can be raised, addressed, and resolved without doing lasting damage to relationships or shared assets.” We have worked with family businesses for over three decades and we agree that conscious conflict is a key to success. Is your family business in the Goldilocks zone? Ask yourself: 1) Is there general satisfaction and belief that you do better together than apart? 2) Are decisions about critical issues being made? 3) Are family relationships good enough to work and celebrate together? Is your family business able to handle conflict in a healthy way? What are your best practices for doing so? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. If you would like to learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication, check out our online learning programs.  In business, some wins are easy to spot—the big sale, the client-winning presentation. But many people work tirelessly behind the scenes to chalk up invaluable but less obvious wins. Thanking the employees who solved an IT glitch in time for that big presentation to take place, or the accountant whose number crunching enabled the terms of the big sale is just as important as acknowledging your “stars.” (Tweet it!)
Speaking to Inc, magazine, Tom Turner, CEO of Bitsight, shared four ways to uncover and recognize invisible wins:
Can you think of an invisible win your organization recently scored? What did you do, or what can you do, to thank the people responsible? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. If you would like to learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication, check out our online learning programs.  Socializing at networking events can feel awkward, and we often fill the silence with the query, “What do you do?” But this may not be the best way to build rapport. (Tweet it!)
Research suggests we prefer relationships where we can relate to another in multiple contexts and that these “multiplex relationships” tend to be more trusting and longer lasting. If a co-worker takes the same yoga class as you or supports the same charity, your bond is likely to strengthen (https://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations/AAI3431176/). Writing in the Harvard Business Review, David Burkus, author of Friend of a Friend, and Oral Roberts University leadership professor, suggests questions that may begin the transition of a new acquaintance into a multiplex relationship. Among them:
What is an interesting icebreaker question that you’ve been asked? Did it lead to a stronger rapport? To join the conversation, click "comments" above. If you would like to learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication, check out our online learning programs. |
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