I have a confession to make. I enjoy talking to people I don't know. I like learning about them and hearing their stories. I'm sure it explains why I started this podcast nearly six years ago. Yet I know a lot of people who avoid talking to strangers. And if, for any reason, they have to, they dread it. But these feelings of dread work against us. Study after study shows that when we talk to strangers, we nearly always feel good afterwards. And in a time where people feel more isolated and lonely than ever, the good feeling that comes from talking to strangers may be just the thing we need to bring us closer together. That's why I reached out to Joe Keohane to talk to him about his incredibly entertaining and enlightening book, The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World. He explains how we got to be so suspicious of strangers and what it's cost us. And for anyone who avoids talking to strangers because they don't know what to say, he's got you covered. Joe shares things he's learned from workshops he attended while writing the book.  Episode Links Why Talking to Strangers Can Make Us Smarter 'The Assignment Made Me Gulp': Could Talking to Strangers Change My Life? The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.

CM 307: Joe Keohane on the Benefits of Talking to Strangers – Rebroadcast

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CM 306: Jennifer Garvey Berger on Thriving in Uncertainty – Rebroadcast

In today’s hyper-connected world, when you want to communicate, you’ve got so many alternatives to talking. But before you spend another minute drafting a text or email, consider how essential it is for us to talk to others. Talking – whether self-talk, sign language, or in-person speaking – is a process we need for learning, setting goals, and managing our emotions. That’s because talking is a multi-step process, and to do it well, we can’t skip a step. Maryellen MacDonald is a Professor of Psychology and Language Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her book, More Than Words: How Talking Sharpens the Mind and Shapes Our World, gives us many reasons to prioritize talking in our lives. It’s a key component of a healthy life. Episode Links How Can You Get Better at Learning a Foreign Language? Good-Enough Production: Selecting Easier Words instead of More Accurate Ones Interview with Alison Wood Brooks on her book, Talk The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.

CM 305: Maryellen MacDonald on Talking as a Superpower

How we think about toughness needs a reset. Too often, it’s been associated with brute forcing our way through things. Ignoring our feelings. Making an outward show of confidence and dominance. The problem is it just doesn't work. Performance coach and bestselling author, Steve Magness, offers another way. He’s done a deep dive on the latest research on toughness and performance. In his book, Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and The Surprising Science of Real Toughness, he discusses the misconceptions of our current model. Then he offers a new one informed by the latest in neuroscience and psychology research. Along the way, he translates research findings into practical steps we can take to make the shift. If you’re a performance junkie, you’ll gain a lot from this interview. You can also apply his ideas to managing your teams. If you enjoy Steve’s approach, check out my previous interview with him on finding your passion at work and in life, episode 142. Episode Links How to be More Resilient, According to an Elite Performance Coach The Secret to Developing Resilient Teams and Organizations Changing This 1 Word in Your Thoughts Can Boost Mental Toughness and Resilience, Psychologists Say Steven Callahan Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders by Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras, and Ella Morton The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.

CM 304: Steve Magness on Real Toughness – Rebroadcast

You’re days into a work project, staring at a screen, feeling anxious about your tight deadline. Mid-afternoon your phone lights up with a call from a friend. You want to connect, but you feel like you don’t have a minute to spare. You let the call go into voicemail. On the surface, this decision may seem inconsequential. But what if you knew that a decision like this, centered on an opportunity for social connection, could make a difference in the health of your brain? Would you make time for the call? Ben Rein is author of the book, Why Brains Needs Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection. He studies the impact of social interactions on brain health and helps us understand, at a cellular level, the biological importance of human relationships. After listening to this interview, you may find yourself picking up the phone a whole lot more. Episode Links Wired for Connection, Cursed by Computers: How Social Media May Be Affecting Our Empathy The Sci-Fi Hypothesis that Explains Why You Click with Certain People Interview With Kasley Killam The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.

CM 303: Ben Rein on Why Brains Need Friends

Digital exhaustion is real. We’re working across more apps than ever before, and since they’re always accessible, work-life boundaries have disappeared. Combine this with our personal tech, and we’ve got a recipe for burnout. Paul Leonardi is a Professor of Technology Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. After decades of business consulting, he’s had a front-row seat to employees’ digital burnout. What he saw led him to create concrete solutions, which he outlines in his latest book, Digital Exhaustion: Simple Rules for Reclaiming Your Life. These are smart and sensible strategies leaders can put into practice to improve employees’ quality of life – and work. Episode Links Developing a Digital Mindset Are Collaboration Tools Overwhelming Your Team Interview with Gloria Mark The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.

CM 302: Paul Leonardi on Overcoming Digital Exhaustion

We spend a lot of our lives in groups. Whether it’s at work. With friends. Even with family. Yet we tend to focus on everyone as individuals. We rarely think about things from the group’s perspective. Colin Fisher is an expert in organizational behavior and an associate professor at University College London, and he wants to change that. His book, The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups, is his insightful attempt at sharing the latest insights on high-performing teams and how to lead them. Episode Links Top Six Tips for Terrific Teams 5 Secrets for Getting the Most out of Working as a Group Interview with Keith Sawyer on groups’ collective genius The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.

CM 301: Colin Fisher on Building Smarter Teams

What prevents some of us from acting on our creative ideas while others dive right in? That’s the question creativity researcher, Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, set out to answer. It’s what she writes about in her book, The Creativity Choice: The Science of Making Decisions to Turn Ideas into Action. Zorana is a senior research scientist at Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Through her work, she’s learned that creativity is a choice, and, when things get hard, we need to employ specific psychological and emotional tools to sustain our efforts. We also need to tap into strong and weak ties for support. If you’re looking to unstick your creative capacity, this is the book you’ll want to pick up. It’s an inspiring read! Episode Links How We Think about Creativity Matters Creativity is a Choice, Not a Trait What Art Teaches Us Interview with Moshe Bar, Episode 214, Curious Minds at Work The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.

CM 300: Zorana Ivcevic Pringle on Turning Ideas into Action

Good things happen when people know they matter. Engagement and performance increase, which then motivates people to stay. In addition, they’re happier, which, makes work more enjoyable for everyone.   But creating this kind of workplace doesn’t happen by accident. It requires that leaders consistently apply a set of specific skills focused on these outcomes. That’s why I wanted to talk to Zach Mercurio, author of the book The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance. Zach holds a PhD in organizational learning, performance, and change. He advises leaders on practices for building cultures that promote well-being, motivation, and high performance. His previous book is The Invisible Leader. Episode Links Great Leaders Make People Feel Noticed The Power of Mattering at Work To Become a Better Leader, Change the Way You See People Interview with Adam Galinsky on what great leaders do – author of Inspire The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.

CM 299: Zach Mercurio on Feeling Like You Matter

When’s the last time you ran an experiment? Not as a scientist. But as a person who wants to get unstuck or try something new. There are messages coming at us from all directions. A popular one encourages us to pursue big dreams often in service of a blanket version of success. For some, these messages are motivating. But for many others, they’re overwhelming. If, instead, we want to pursue our own path, how do we begin? This week’s guest is Anne-Laure Le Cunff. She’s felt these cultural pressures, and it’s what’s led her to develop a different approach. She tapped into a method that lowers feelings of overwhelm and brings back the joy of discovery. And it’s a strategy that led her to write her book, Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World. In this interview we talk about what a tiny experiment is and what it can do for us. We also discuss how to plan, run, and learn from them. I was energized by her approach. Episode Links The Trap of the Deadline High Self-Authorship: The Art of Trusting Your Own Authority Intellectual Self-Doubt: The Psychology behind Questioning Your Own Competence Interview with Leidy Klotz (Episode 192), author of the book, Subtract The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.

CM 298: Anne-Laure Le Cunff on a Life of Tiny Experiments

Want to get better at work? At managing others? Managing yourself? Gayle Allen interviews experts who take your performance to the next level. Each episode features a book with insights to help you achieve your goals.