I have had countless counseling clients over the years present to me emotionally laden reactions to feeling triggered by the comments of others. You’re in a conversation, and suddenly, something the other person says makes your heart race and your muscles tense. Maybe it’s a comment from a family member, a passive-aggressive remark from a coworker, or an old friend bringing up a painful past. Instead of reacting in anger or shutting down, there’s one phrase that can help you stay in control: “That’s interesting. Tell me more.”

TikTok is seeing an increasing trend among all too many workers: #boredatwork. This one hashtag has over 200,000 videos attached to it, clips often using humor to expose the otherwise depressing culture of underwhelming in the workplace. Many of the clips are of people stirring the pot – workers engaged in small acts of mischief in an effort to disrupt the monotony of the workday.

Losing customers without understanding why can be incredibly frustrating and damaging for a business. As much as we like to think we know our customers and have our fingers on the pulse of their needs, there are often hidden reasons behind losing customers that catch us by surprise.

It used to be that technical proficiency was the main quality that was desired when it came to leadership. And while technical proficiency is important, it is now considered an entry level skill that is necessary to get your foot in the door. Besides, many jobs are now so complex that we need to rely on a team of competent people.

New research from ValueSelling and Training Industry, Inc. has uncovered a glaring gap between the most impactful sales behaviors needed to engage with buyers virtually, and what sales leaders measure today. Surprisingly, winning sales behaviors are rarely measured. Yet without accurate measurement practices in place, companies are not effective in encouraging the right behaviors that lead to increased sales results, which means that money is left on the table.

A critical aspect of effective leaders today is the ability to lead change. Indeed, many would argue that the most distinguishing difference between people we identify as good managers and those we deem to be great leaders is that leaders are adept at bringing about change.

Most organizations are struggling with potential disruptors, including digital transformation, increasing global competition, and changing customer expectations.

After all of the years that I’ve worked in leadership, there is one question that resurfaces again and again: Are leaders born or made?

While you can’t ignore that everyone is born with certain traits that will affect leadership abilities, this is not the end of the journey. Part of the challenge as leaders is to understand what those traits are and how to further develop them.

Leadership broken down into its most basic and practical form can be defined as meeting the needs of people and developing them to their fullest potential.

When employees don’t develop and have their needs met to do their jobs well, they experience low morale, they stop caring, and they stop trying.

Understanding others, how they process information, how they like to receive information, how they like to interact, allows us to build a good working relationship which is critical to persuasion. It is important to note that building a good working relationship is an ongoing process. It means you continue to understand each other so you can communicate well.

What is happiness? Aristotle pondered it, our country’s founders encouraged its pursuit, but only now—thanks to the thriving field of Positive Psychology—have we learned more precisely how to attain and sustain it. In thousands of studies in the last two decades, researchers have watched babies share crackers, put Tibetan monks in brain scanners, asked college students to do kind deeds and explored databases, among other strategies. A major finding has emerged: Happiness is, to a great degree, in our own hands—or more exactly, our own minds.

12 Driving Forces are personal drivers or motivators; the “why” someone does what they do. Created by TTI Success Insights, 12 Driving Forces helps to uncover and explain a person’s motivating factors. Motivators/ drivers can be thought of as the areas of life that a person is passionate about or things perceived by an individual as important. A person's drivers provide their purpose and direction in life.