Join Katy Milkman, an award-winning behavioral scientist and professor at The Wharton School, as she shares insights on building confidence. She discusses how self-doubt can hinder action and the power of mindset in shaping our realities. Leaders can enhance team morale by encouraging mentorship roles, while ambitious goal-setting should allow for occasional setbacks. Katy also reveals how giving advice boosts confidence and fosters personal growth. Tune in for practical strategies to elevate your confidence and leadership skills!
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Max's Confidence Boost
Katy Milkman shares a story about her Ph.D. advisor, Max, who exuded confidence in his students.
His unwavering belief in their success, even offering insurance against job failure, fostered a positive and productive environment.
insights INSIGHT
Expectations Shape Reality
Expectations shape reality, as demonstrated by the placebo effect and a study on housekeepers.
Believing their work was exercise led to health improvements, highlighting the power of mindset.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
The Power of Giving Advice
Instead of offering unsolicited advice, put struggling individuals in the role of advisor.
Asking for advice boosts confidence and insights, as shown by a study on high school students.
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In 'Tiny Habits,' Dr. BJ Fogg presents a breakthrough method for habit formation based on 20 years of research and his experience coaching thousands of people. The book introduces the 'Behavior Design' approach, which emphasizes the importance of motivation, ability, and prompts in creating new habits. Fogg's method, known as the ABC (Anchor, Behavior, Celebration) method, involves anchoring new habits to existing routines, performing the behavior, and celebrating each success to reinforce the habit. The book provides step-by-step guides and practical techniques to make habit formation easy, enjoyable, and rewarding, helping readers to increase productivity, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being.
How to Change
The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
Katy Milkman
In this ground-breaking book, Katy Milkman reveals a proven path to help readers move from where they are to where they want to be. Drawing on her original research and the work of her world-renowned scientific collaborators, Milkman shares strategic methods for identifying and overcoming common barriers to change, such as impulsivity, procrastination, and forgetfulness. The book offers innovative approaches like 'temptation bundling,' using timely reminders, and creating 'set-it-and-forget-it systems' to make change more achievable. It emphasizes the importance of tailoring solutions to specific roadblocks and using science to stack the deck in favor of successful change.
The Coaching Habit
Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever
Michael Bungay Stanier
In 'The Coaching Habit,' Michael Bungay Stanier provides a straightforward and effective approach to coaching. Drawing on his extensive experience training managers worldwide, he introduces seven essential coaching questions designed to help managers unlock their team's potential. These questions include the Kickstart Question, the AWE Question, the Lazy Question, the Strategic Question, the Focus Question, the Foundation Question, and the Learning Question. The book emphasizes the importance of saying less and asking more, fostering a collaborative and empowering work environment. It combines practical advice with research in neuroscience and behavioral economics, making coaching a daily, informal part of managerial work rather than a formal event.
The Advice Trap
Michael Bungay Stanier
In 'The Advice Trap', Michael Bungay Stanier builds on the principles of his previous book, 'The Coaching Habit', to help leaders and consultants avoid the pitfalls of premature and unsolicited advice-giving. The book emphasizes the importance of taming the 'Advice Monster' within, which is driven by the beliefs that one must have the answer, be responsible for everything, and stay in control. By staying curious longer and rushing into advice-giving more slowly, leaders can foster a more engaged team, promote organizational change, and create a curiosity-driven company culture. The book provides practical tools and strategies for effective coaching, including the use of probing questions, mindfulness, and humility[2][4][5].
Katy Milkman: How to Change
Katy Milkman is an award-winning behavioral scientist and professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She hosts Charles Schwab’s popular behavioral economics podcast Choiceology, and is the co-founder and co-director of The Behavior Change for Good Initiative.
Katy has worked with or advised dozens of organizations on how to spur positive change and her research is regularly featured in major media outlets such as The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and NPR. She is the author of the book, How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be*.
In this conversation, Katy and I explore the research on confidence. We highlight some of the key tactics we can use to enhance our own feelings of confidence. Plus, we explore some of the ways that leaders may be able to support confidence-building in others.
Key Points
Self doubt affects our ability to take action.
Our expectations shape reality. How we think about something affects how it is.
Leaders can support those with less confidence by inviting them to be a mentor or coach for others.
Set ambitious goals, but allow yourself a limited number of emergency passes when you slip up.
Focus on personal experiences that make you feel successful or proud.
Resources Mentioned
How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be* by Katy Milkman
Interview Notes
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Related Episodes
The Way to Make New Behaviors Stick, with Marshall Goldsmith (episode 196)
The Way to Be More Coach-Like, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 458)
How to Change Your Behavior, with BJ Fogg (episode 507)
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