Eleanor and I were fast asleep at my parents' house in upstate New York when my five-year-old daughter Sophia came running in. "Look out the window!" she screamed, as she pulled on our shades. I looked at my watch: 6 a.m. Not bad. Sophia … [Read more...]
Don’t Be Nice; Be Helpful
March 16, 2011 By
Ron* was up next. As a senior analyst in this investment firm — and a good one — he knew a lot about the company he was about to pitch to the management committee. He paused for a minute as he sorted through the pages of numbers in front … [Read more...]
The Right Way to Respond to Failure
March 10, 2011 By
My wife Eleanor and I were visiting some friends on a Saturday when their nine-year-old daughter, Dana*, came home. She was close to tears, barely holding it together. "Oh sweetie," her mom said. "What happened at the swim … [Read more...]
How to Use Your Super Power for Good
February 15, 2011 By
[For more, visit the Communication Insight Center.] I folded my bike and carried it into the lobby of the office building in midtown Manhattan. The security guard behind the desk looked up at me, grimaced, then looked down again and growled … [Read more...]
Arguing Is Pointless
February 8, 2011 By
It was lunchtime and the seven of us — two kids and five adults — would be in the car for the next three hours as we drove from New York City to upstate Connecticut for the weekend. We decided to get some takeout at a place on the corner … [Read more...]
The Secret to Ensuring Follow-Through
January 25, 2011 By
"Listen, I would love the reorg to work. But I just can't trust them." I had called Mary* as part of my preparation for an offsite with the leaders of a fast-growing financial services firm. Mary was talking about the newly reorganized HR … [Read more...]
Don’t Let the Package Distract You from the Message
December 1, 2010 By
My wife Eleanor and I came home from dinner the other night, and found our babysitter, Leslie*, in tears. "Is everything OK with the kids?" I asked. "Yes. They've been sleeping the whole time. It's not that." "Do you want to talk about whatever … [Read more...]
Live Life as an Experiment
August 17, 2010 By
It was an experiment. I was returning an item to the store from which I had bought it. The item was well within the return period, but there would be a 20% restocking fee. Could I evade that fee? What would I have to do or say to persuade them not to … [Read more...]
The Best Way to Handle a Power Struggle
August 9, 2010 By
My flight from New York to Paris was delayed — maybe it would be canceled — and the passengers at the gate were frustrated. Most were sitting quietly in their frustration, periodically looking up at the screen and mumbling the things that … [Read more...]
An interview with Bulgarian magazine “Manager”
August 1, 2010 By
Mr. Bregman, can the change in a company begin from the bottom? And how would that not lead to anarchy? Some of the most effective change starts at the bottom. In fact, the best leaders know how … [Read more...]
