Weekly Impact Brief (2023.Sep.10)
Innovative cultures; leadership networks; changing yourself; avoiding chronic performance and psychological safety
Note: We are in private beta. There are rough edges; this Brief will evolve in the coming weeks before we launch more broadly. We value your feedback! To share your input, click here.
Read time: 2.5 min
Welcome
It’s great to have you here!
This Brief offers leaders quick, fact-driven insights on trending articles from the last week around leadership, innovation, and more. These are curated from top sources, such as McKinsey, Harvard, and many others, looking at elements of the Impactful Framework.
Thought Starter
Last week, we covered the element of “Attention”; this week, we cover “Feedback”, a vital professional practice that high-impact professionals embrace despite the discomfort it often brings.
Highlights
McKinsey & Company: Companies with innovative cultures have a big edge with generative AI
Boston Consulting Group: Great Leadership Is a Network, Not a Hierarchy
Stanford Graduate School of Business: How to Change: Building Better Habits and Behaviors (And Getting Out of Your Own Way)
Forbes: Four Signs Of The Chronic Performance Trap And How To Break Free
Harvard Business Review: Psychological Safety in Theory and in Practice
Impact Pulse
Each week, we review 100+ articles from 50+ premier academic and consulting firm sources to highlight a few “essentials” below.
Companies with innovative cultures have a big edge with generative AI
Generative AI offers opportunities, but successful deployment requires an innovative culture, strategic implementation, and measures to address challenges like data privacy and bias; innovative companies capitalize on generative AI's capabilities at a much higher rate than their peers.
Great Leadership Is a Network, Not a Hierarchy
Shift from traditional hierarchical leadership to a more distributed model, where everyone is empowered to take the lead; remove labels, share information openly, and foster a culture of kindness to build effective, sustainable, and happier teams.
How to Change: Building Better Habits and Behaviors (And Getting Out of Your Own Way)
Overcome psychological and behavioral barriers to achieve personal goals by using strategies like temptation bundling, technological reminders, and commitment devices; apply correct framing and feedback, break down goals into “bite-sized” components; and use social connections for accountability and enjoyment.
Four Signs Of The “Chronic Performance” Trap And How To Break Free
Chronic performance, work addiction, and the "Never Enough Cult" lead to work-life imbalance, health issues, and relationship problems; a generational shift needs to be made towards valuing mental health and work-life balance.
Featured Summary
Below are our featured insights for the week; the Harvard Business Review unpacks the practical benefits of psychological safety in the workplace.
Psychological Safety in Theory and in Practice
Psychological safety in the workplace requires open communication, asking good questions, and fostering an environment where employees can freely speak up and make mistakes; use practical strategies like setting a clear "leader's intent."
Lighter Side
As usual, let's end on a light note!
Last week's cartoon sparked some controversy about Elon Musk’s leadership style.
Here’s the cartoon again, posted on LinkedIn.
Now, for today’s cartoon.
Some alternative suggestions for today’s cartoon caption:
"When they said to take a leap of faith with the new strategy, this wasn’t what I had in mind!”
"This is NOT what I meant by 'drop in' for a meeting!"
Have a clever caption for today's cartoon? Share it with us, and we might feature it on LinkedIn, Twitter, or in an upcoming Brief!
Parting Thoughts
Thank you for spending your precious time with us.
We are still in early “beta” mode for the coming weeks. If you find this Brief useful, please forward it now to share it far and wide!
Please feel free to reach out with any thoughts or questions that today’s insights might have sparked.
Impactfully yours,
Ali Monadjem (LinkedIn profile)
For The Impactful Executive Team
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