Posts tickling the thought processes of the BIG team this past week…enjoy, reflect and share!

Becoming more strategic: Three tips for any executive (Michael Birshan and Jayanti Kar, McKinsey Quarterly - requires free sign-up)

The authors tell us we’re “entering the age of the strategist” and offer three tips for becoming more strategic to make “it easier to stay ahead of emerging opportunities, respond quickly to unexpected threats, and make timely decisions.”

The bipolar culture. How either/or thinking affects our society. (Daniel Montano on Framework21)

The BIG team is a huge advocate for polarity thinking - not applying singular solution either/or thinking to situations involving a both/and tension…like being both confident and humble as an example. Daniel illustrates how limiting unchecked either/or thinking can be.

Demonstrations (Social Cognition and Social Neuroscience)

Fancy yourself open-minded and bias free? This fascinating computer model of traits expressed via facial features may prompt you to second-guess yourself.

How Leaders Become Self-Aware (Anthony K. Tjan, HBR Blog Network)

“…there is one quality that trumps all, evident in virtually every great entrepreneur, manager, and leader. That quality is self-awareness. The best thing leaders can to improve their effectiveness is to become more aware of what motivates them and their decision-making.”

Is it time to join “Egos Anonymous”? Two ways to tell (David Witt on Blanchard LeaderChat)

One’s ego can be a monumental stumbling block to leadership and career success. “Ego is the biggest addiction in the world. So many people think of their self-worth as a function of their performance plus the opinions of others. But that’s a dead-end deal. When your self-worth is somewhere ‘out there,’ it’s always up for grabs.”

Thinking about employees as real assets - a view whose time has come. “After years of telling corporate citizens to ‘trust the system,’ many companies must relearn instead to trust their people - and encourage their people to use neglected creative capacities in order to tap the most potent economic stimulus of all: idea power.” ~Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Here’s to you having a week filled with being good in all the doing well.