The default setting for most people is to listen for similarity and agreement. This means our minds are filtering information looking for the nuggets we agree with and distorting the rest.

As well as being unhealthy in all the obvious ways, I want to zone in on this idea of clinging on to something too tightly. When we’re clinging on too tightly, we aren’t allowing space for new ideas, different solutions, other outcomes - we end up thinking along the lines of ''it must be THIS particular job, nothing else works.’

Every strength has a shadow side to watch out for. With high empathy skills you could be spending too much time in other people’s heads…

I read that our emotions are designed to dissipate after 90 seconds. So why am I still wound up about the driver that pulled out in front of me when driving yesterday?

I like them for a few reasons. Firstly, they make me smile! Secondly, I like that they show the division between what our heart wants and what our brain wants. And to ruin the punchline - they often want different things.

Having a growth mindset is about believing you can develop new capabilities and learn. This means you're likely to take on new challenges, accept feedback and learn from mistakes. 

733 multi-millionaires were interviewed and asked to rate the factors (out of 30) most responsible for their success. IQ was only 21st on the list - giving a strong case for just how important emotional intelligence is.

A classic technique for deciding whether to say yes and go for it,,,

If your people appear fine, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re fine. In a leadership role we need to be willing to lead or at least open the conversation.