Category Archives: Career Skills

Using psychology to be an influential leader

How to use psychology to be an influential leader

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As a leader, your role goes beyond just delegating tasks and making strategic decisions. You must inspire and motivate your team to achieve their best performance. To do this, it’s crucial to understand the psychology of human behavior. Knowing what drives people and how they react in certain situations will make you an effective leader. In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of understanding human psychology to become an influential leader.

Build Strong Relationships

As a leader, building relationships with your team is crucial. When you understand human psychology, you can tailor your communication to each individual team member. This means you can use the right language, tone, and body language that resonates with them. You can also identify their communication style, whether they are visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners, and adjust your communication accordingly. This helps to build trust and rapport with your team, making it easier for them to follow your lead. It’s all about ensuring you can individualize your approach.

What works to motivate and influence one team member will not work on another.

Motivate Your Team

Understanding human psychology also helps you to motivate your team effectively. By recognizing what drives them, you can incentivize and reward them in ways that inspire them to achieve their best performance. For example, if a team member is driven by recognition, you can give them public praise for their work. If they’re motivated by personal growth, you can offer them training and development opportunities. Motivating your team can lead to higher levels of engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction.

All too often we default to our own preferred method of recognition. It’s important to remember that you aren’t the one being recognized. There is also a long-held belief that monetary recognition is the best form. In fact, some of the best motivators are recognition that connects to personal goals or purpose of an employee. Consider supporting a cause they are connected to, or doing something outside the box that shows them you appreciate them.

One of the best recognitions I have ever received wasn’t even for me – it was for my wife. Her employer sent ME a letter to thank me for everything I do to support her in the background so that she can do the work she does. It was a feel good moment for both of us, and a great way to recognize a team member.

Manage Conflict

Conflict is inevitable in any team, but it’s how you manage it that makes the difference. Understanding human psychology can help you identify the underlying causes of conflict, whether it’s a clash of personalities, miscommunication, or conflicting values. With this knowledge, you can approach conflict resolution in a way that takes into account the emotions and perspectives of everyone involved. This approach can help to de-escalate conflicts and find mutually beneficial solutions.

And it doesn’t need to get to the point of conflict to manage the conflict.

As you hone your observation skills, you’ll become much more aware of some of the indicators that might tell you trouble is brewing. It gives you the opportunity to address the issue sooner and deal with it before there’s any impact at all. Specifically, look for changes in behaviours like showing up late or missing meetings, not talking in social situations where once they would contribute. These are signs something is going on, and is a good opportunity to check in and see where or how to provide support.

Foster Creativity and Innovation

Human psychology plays a critical role in creativity and innovation. By understanding how people think and process information, you can create an environment that fosters creativity and innovation. This includes providing opportunities for brainstorming, idea-sharing, and experimentation. You can also encourage diverse perspectives and approaches to problem-solving, which can lead to breakthroughs and new ways of thinking.

Develop Emotional Intelligence

Finally, understanding human psychology helps you to develop emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to understand and manage your emotions and the emotions of others. This skill is critical for effective leadership, as it enables you to empathize with your team, read their emotions, and respond appropriately. Emotional intelligence also helps you to regulate your own emotions, communicate effectively, and build positive relationships.

In conclusion, understanding human psychology is essential for effective leadership. It enables you to build strong relationships, motivate your team, manage conflict, foster creativity and innovation, and develop emotional intelligence. As a leader, investing in understanding human psychology is one of the most valuable investments you can make in yourself and your team.

Overcome bias and get results for your biz

Bias in business: how to overcome the top 12

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In today’s diverse workplace, it is essential to recognize and address different forms of bias that can occur. “Bias definition” is a common search phrase, as employees seek to improve their understanding of what they can do differently. From confirmation bias to hindsight bias, The Biz Dojo has you covered with our top 13 biases found in business.

The best way to address a bias? Learn what it is, spot it, and take action. So, to help you on that journey – here is the list of the top 13 biases you may come across in the workplace.

Top 13 Bias in business

Confirmation Bias

With this bias, we tend to seek out information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs and ignore information that challenges them. To overcome this, it is important to stay open to different viewpoints and actively seek out diverse perspectives.

Implicit Bias

This is unconscious bias that affects the process of how we make decisions. To overcome this, we must become aware of our biases and challenge them through deliberate action.

Halo Effect

In this bias, we form an overall impression of an individual based on one positive characteristic. To overcome this, it is important to evaluate individuals based on a variety of criteria rather than relying on one aspect.

Horns Effect

This is the opposite of the halo effect, where one negative characteristic clouds our overall perception of an individual. To overcome this, it is important to evaluate individuals based on multiple criteria and not let one negative trait overshadow their other qualities.

Affinity Bias

It is natural for us to want to favor individuals who are similar to ourselves. But, that also means we’re often surrounded by those who don’t challenge our way of thinking. It prevents us from exploring new ways of thinking, and ultimately stunts our growth. To overcome this, it is important to actively seek out diversity in our workplaces. We must consider individuals based on their qualifications rather than their similarities to us.

Conformity Bias

This is the tendency to conform to group opinions rather than considering alternative viewpoints, even when they conflict with or own beliefs. This can often occur when we have the same groups of individuals working on a project. This often occurs in politics, where members go along with a particular idea simply because it is desired by the broader group. To overcome this, it is important to encourage diverse perspectives and challenge assumptions. It is important to speak up, this is especially true if your “gut instinct” is telling you something contrary to the group opinion. Explore that feeling with the group to ensure your own comfort level with the decision, and to help eliminate any groupthink biases.

Anchoring Bias

This is the tendency to rely heavily on the first piece of information received when making decisions. This is often used in marketing, especially for high-ticket items. For example, if you’re thinking about buying a new car, the first price you see is your anchor point. The salesperson may then offer you a slightly lower price, and you will perceive it as a deal — even though it may be significantly higher than the true value of the vehicle. To overcome this, it is important to gather and evaluate multiple sources of information. So in this example, taking the time to shop around and compare prices is critical before that sales person gets to you.

Availability Bias

This is the tendency to rely on readily available information rather than seeking out more accurate or relevant data. This is another bias that has a great connection to marketing. When you think of facial tissue, you probably think “Kleenex”. In fact, you probably don’t even think “facial tissue”. There are likely brands out there you may be more interested in, but when you go to the store Kleenex is the first to mind. So, it’s what you buy. To overcome this, it is important to conduct thorough research and avoid making decisions based on assumptions.

Attribution Bias

This is the tendency to attribute qualities of others based on incomplete evidence. In business, one of the greatest examples of attribution bias is in the hiring process. In hiring, we often seek out credentials (i.e. University degree) because we are biased towards higher education. The skills and experience of the team member are often not even considered if a candidate doesn’t have that initial “qualification” for the role. So, we are biased even before the process begins, and as a result will often miss out on truly incredible candidates.

Recency Bias

This is the tendency to place too much weight on recent events or information when making decisions. To overcome recency bias, consider historical data and trends, and strive for consistency in decision-making.

Hindsight Bias

This is the tendency to believe that events were predictable and inevitable after they have occurred. To overcome hindsight bias, consider the information and circumstances that were available at the time of the decision. Focus on learning and improvement rather than blame.

The workplace should be a space where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background, race, gender, or any other factor. Unfortunately, unconscious biases can creep into the workplace, affecting decisions and hindering diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Recognizing and addressing different forms of bias is essential for creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. By being aware of these biases and taking deliberate action to overcome them, we can create a workplace culture that values diversity and promotes equality. It is up to all of us to create an environment where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued.

The Top Career Skill To Master: Understanding Others

This One Career Skill Is The Most Important: Understanding Others

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As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the ability to understand others is quickly becoming one of the most important career skills you can possess. Not only does it help you build better relationships with colleagues, clients, and customers, but it can also help you navigate difficult situations and negotiate more effectively. In this Career Skills blog post, we’ll explore why understanding others is so important, and we’ll provide some tips for improving this critical skill.

The Career Booster & Understanding Others

Before we get into the tips, let’s take a quick look at the science behind understanding others. According to research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, people who are better at understanding others tend to have higher levels of emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to recognize and understand one’s own emotions and the emotions of others, and to use this knowledge to guide one’s thinking and behavior. Studies have shown that people with high EI are more successful in their personal and professional lives, and they are more likely to be effective leaders.

So, why is understanding others so important in the workplace? For starters, it can help you build stronger relationships with your colleagues, which can lead to more productive collaborations and a more positive work environment. When you take the time to listen to and understand the perspectives of others, you can create a more inclusive culture that values diverse opinions and ideas.

In addition, understanding others can help you navigate difficult situations, such as conflicts or negotiations. When you can anticipate the needs and concerns of others, you can be better prepared to address them, which can lead to more successful outcomes. For example, if you’re negotiating a contract with a client, understanding their priorities and goals can help you craft an agreement that is mutually beneficial.

Tips for Improving Your Ability to Understand Others

Now that we’ve established why understanding others is so important, let’s explore some tips for improving this critical skill.

Practice Active Listening

One of the most important aspects of understanding others is being an active listener. This means giving your full attention to the person who is speaking, and taking the time to fully understand their perspective. Active listening involves asking open-ended questions, paraphrasing what the person has said to ensure you’ve understood them correctly, and providing feedback to demonstrate that you’ve heard them.

Develop Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. When you have empathy, you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes and see things from their perspective. This can be incredibly valuable in the workplace, as it can help you build stronger relationships with colleagues and clients, and it can help you anticipate their needs and concerns.

Practice Cultural Sensitivity

In today’s globalized world, it’s more important than ever to be culturally sensitive. This means being aware of and respectful of cultural differences, and being mindful of how your actions and words may be perceived by people from different backgrounds. Cultural sensitivity can help you avoid misunderstandings and build stronger relationships with colleagues and clients from diverse backgrounds.

Use Emotional Intelligence to Guide Your Actions

As we mentioned earlier, people with high levels of emotional intelligence tend to be better at understanding others. To improve your emotional intelligence, you can focus on developing your self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. By using your emotional intelligence to guide your actions, you can build stronger relationships with colleagues and clients, and you can be more effective in your interactions with others.

In conclusion, the ability to understand others is quickly becoming one of the most important career skills you can possess. By practicing active listening, developing empathy, practicing cultural sensitivity, and using emotional intelligence to guide your actions, you can improve your ability to understand others and build stronger relationships in the workplace. So, the next time you’re in a meeting or negotiating