Living by the philosophy of stoicism can boost your leadership by bringing you a sense of inner peace and resilience, but when you misunderstand its precepts, it can result in emotional suppression, overcommitment and detachment from others, writes J.D. Meier, who recommends focusing on emotional awareness, setting boundaries and maintaining meaningful relationships. "By practicing stoicism thoughtfully, you can harness its power to protect yourself from burnout rather than falling victim to it," Meier notes.
Put it into practice: Meier outlines a daily stoic routine that includes morning practices like setting intentions and practicing gratitude, midday practices for staying centered and evening practices for reflection and letting go. Meier also offers practices such as daily stoic reading and maintaining meaningful connections to support resilience and self-care.
Return-to-office requirements could have the unintended consequence of pushing working mothers out of the workplace, writes Priya Rajendran, the co-founder and CEO of S'moresUp. Companies can prevent "mom quitting" by building flexibility into work arrangements, expanding parental leave benefits and providing support for mental health, as well as encouraging teamwork and offering benefits tailored for families.
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Avoid feeling frustrated when team members bypass you to get things done, and instead evaluate your team's responsibilities and metrics for success, writes Jenny Fernandez, an executive coach who also recommends examining whether your team focuses on results at any cost. "When team members bypass the chain of command, it presents an opportunity for leaders to evaluate and strengthen their team's alignment," Fernandez writes.
Put it into practice: Managers can refocus on team goals instead of individual goals to create an environment that rewards the correct behaviors. "To reduce the likelihood of bypassing, redefining accountability is essential, with a focus on team-based objectives rather than individual achievements," Fernandez writes.
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Office etiquette is crucial for creating a respectful and collaborative work environment, especially as employees return to physical workspaces postpandemic, writes Gleb Tsipursky, the CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts. Many employees, particularly those who started working during remote conditions, need more familiarity with office norms, Tsipursky notes, so managers must work to reset office culture to ensure effective communication and reduce conflicts.
Leadership is like being a bus driver, explains Tony Blair, the former UK prime minister and founder and executive chair of the Institute for Global Change, which requires clarity of direction but also humility and the ability to receive feedback so those going along with you have confidence in you. "I say this to any leader in any walk of life: the one thing I've learned, not just in politics but in life, is that if hubris is walking around, nemesis is a very short distance behind," Blair says.
A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals the brain's mechanism for distinguishing one's own voice from background noise through auditory corollary discharge signals. These signals, traveling from the motor cortex to the auditory cortex, are crucial for speech processing and are disrupted in conditions such as schizophrenia, leading to auditory hallucinations.
When we think of stoic people, we often see them as detached, unfeeling or taking on too much. All of these are signs that they've misunderstood the underlying philosophy of stoicism, as J.D. Meier points out. When appropriately practiced, stoic principles can help you remain calm under pressure, make thoughtful decisions and foster a productive, resilient team environment.
Instead of taking a "grin and bear it" attitude when things go sideways, thoughtful stoics are aware of their feelings and gracefully endure tough times. They know that relationships are essential, and they focus on the things they can control and release those things that are not.
Stoicism can help you learn how to proactively engage, even in challenging situations, as well as give you the wisdom to set boundaries and honor your own needs, Meier writes. When properly practiced, stoicism can improve your leadership as well as your mental health.
As stoic Marcus Aurelius wrote: "You have power over your mind -- not external events. Realize this, and you will have strength."
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