Unveiling the Secrets of "Mastering the 5 Managerial Superpowers"

I am thrilled to announce the release of my latest book, Mastering the 5 Managerial Superpowers. This is not just another book on management and leadership—it's a deep dive into the science of how you can truly gain control over your responses, hack your brain using behavioral science, and manage conflict with unprecedented effectiveness.

I honestly believe it’s the most important work I’ve ever written. Here’s why.

Foundational Skills: Building the Bedrock of Effective Leadership

At the heart of Mastering the 5 Managerial Superpowers is the concept of foundational skills. This starts with cultivating self-awareness and compassion—because understanding yourself and showing empathy towards others are the cornerstones of effective leadership.

Once you’ve laid this groundwork, you can move on to mastering self-control. This isn’t about repressing your emotions but rather about understanding them so deeply that you can choose how to respond. Instead of reacting with a knee-jerk impulse, you can respond strategically, turning every situation into an opportunity for positive outcomes.

Hacking Your Brain: The Science of Change

The second big idea in the book is about hacking your brain. I explore how you can use insights from behavioral science to literally rewire your default reactions and change how you deal with problems. Change isn’t just possible; it’s something you can engineer within yourself.

Imagine being able to shift your mindset, break free from unproductive habits, and approach challenges with a renewed sense of clarity. This book shows you how to harness the power of behavioral science to make these changes not just aspirational but achievable.

Managing Conflict: Mastering the Art of Response

Finally, Mastering the 5 Managerial Superpowers delves into one of the most critical aspects of leadership and - life: managing conflict. The key to effective conflict management isn’t just about resolving disagreements. It's about managing your own response to conflict.

By mastering the skills of self-control and strategic response, you can approach conflicts not as threats but as opportunities. This book equips you with the tools to navigate these situations with confidence and poise, ensuring that you lead by example even in the most challenging circumstances.

Why This Book Matters

In a world where change is constant and challenges are inevitable, the ability to control your responses and lead with intention is more important than ever both in your personal and professional life. Mastering the 5 Managerial Superpowers is designed to help you develop these critical skills so that you can not only survive but thrive.

The reason I think this is the best book I've ever written is because it's not just about leadership. It's about self management. And how to accomplish that using behavioral science to change how you respond. I feel like I've shared the secrets of the universe and how to be human - better - in this book. Like everything else I've written was leading up to this. It's an odd feeling to have.  

The funny thing is - I wrote this course and book, because someone asked me to. They told me the topics they wanted me to cover. I thought they were great and I wrote about my approach to self awareness, managing change, conflict management and - managing actual real people. 

The point is, whether you’re a seasoned manager, a new manager, or just want to learn how to be a better human, this book offers actionable insights  based on science that will transform the way you approach your work and your life. 

I truly believe that the tools and techniques outlined in this book can make a profound difference in your life and in your journey as a leader. Thank you for your support, and I look forward to hearing how Mastering the 5 Managerial Superpowers impacts you.

Learn More: 

The online course can be accessed at: https://humanistlearning.com/mastering-the-five-managerial-superpowers/

The paperback is at amazon: https://amzn.to/3SXJy4O

The ebooks are at amazon: https://amzn.to/3AsFvHc

and at your favorite ebook retailers through draft2digital: https://books2read.com/b/bxANgv

The audio book is in process and will be posted at the humanistlearning website once it's available.

The Humanistic Leader's Paradox: Embracing Methodical Progress for Greater Efficiency

In the pursuit of personal growth and success, we often find ourselves pushing harder, trying to achieve more, and striving to go faster. Yet, a simple story of swimming in the ocean teaches us a profound lesson that can be applied to the realm of humanistic leadership and management. As we navigate the dynamic waters of leadership, it is essential to understand that sometimes, a slower, more methodical approach can paradoxically lead to quicker and more efficient progress.

Learning to Swim Methodically

I have been swimming for exercise for a while now. I've gotten stronger and can swim longer and not get as winded as I did when I first started.  I'm also swimming at the beach in addition to swimming at the pool. Swimming at the beach is different than swimming in a pool. The waves and currents make it totally different. I set a goal for myself, to swim to a buoy and back.  At first, I couldn't quite make it to the buoy. I would be winded. Even though I know I can swim that distance easily, swimming in the ocean is way more tiring. I decided to take a new approach. In the pool, I swim methodically and honestly rather slowly. I take my time with each stroke and focus on matching my stroke to my breath, which I try to make slow and steady. When I applied this technique in the ocean, not only could I swim to the buoy easily without getting out of breath, but I got there faster than I normally do when I am trying to power my way through the water. 

The Ocean of Leadership:

Humanistic leaders understand that leading a team is much like swimming in the ocean. There are waves of challenges, currents of change, and unpredictable tides of emotions. Each individual on the team brings unique strengths and weaknesses, much like the varying conditions in the open sea. To guide our teams to success, we must adapt our leadership approach, recognizing that one size does not fit all.

The Initial Struggle:

As leaders, we often set ambitious goals, just as I did when I decided to try swimming to a distant buoy and back. However, just like swimming in the ocean, the journey to achieve these goals can be more demanding than we expect. At times, our team might feel overwhelmed and get disheartened when they cannot reach their objectives as swiftly as envisioned.

The Paradox of Efficiency:

The most striking lesson is the paradox of efficiency. Taking a slower more methodical approach not only tends to work better than random thrashing about, it is also quicker and uses less energy. 

The humanistic approach, which seems slower on the surface, ultimately leads to quicker progress and more profound growth. By acknowledging the individual needs of team members, supporting their well-being, and fostering a collaborative and trusting atmosphere, humanistic leaders create an environment where productivity and efficiency naturally flourish.

Applying the Methodical Approach:

I experimented by adopting a slower, more methodical swimming technique in the ocean and it resulted in reaching the buoy with greater ease and efficiency. Similarly, in leadership, a measured more humanistic approach that values individual progress and fosters a supportive environment can yield remarkable results and require less energy. 

How do we do this?

Emphasize Well-being: 

Instead of pushing our team members relentlessly towards their targets, we can encourage them to focus on their well-being and maintain a steady pace. By providing support and resources to address personal challenges, we create a healthier work environment, which ultimately enhances productivity.

Foster Collaboration: 

Just as each stroke was matched to the breath in the pool, a humanistic leader ensures that each task and responsibility aligns with the strengths and skills of team members. By fostering collaboration and encouraging open communication, leaders can build a stronger sense of teamwork and cohesiveness.

Empowering Through Trust: 

Trust is the foundation of a successful team, much like the buoyancy that keeps us afloat in the ocean. Humanistic leaders entrust their team members with autonomy, allowing them to take ownership of their tasks and make decisions. This empowerment fosters a sense of accountability and commitment to achieving common goals.

Conclusion:

Just as my methodical swimming technique transformed my experience in the ocean, I know from experience that embracing a humanistic leadership approach can revolutionize the dynamics within a team. By prioritizing the well-being of team members, encouraging collaboration, and empowering through trust, leaders can navigate the challenges of the ever-changing business landscape with grace and efficacy. 

Remember, as humanistic leaders, we have the power to make a difference, not only in achieving goals but also in fostering an environment where everyone can thrive and succeed.

Learn More:

If you want to learn more you can take this online course on applied humanistic leadership: https://humanistlearning.com/certificate-in-applied-humanistic-leadership/

Or get my book Applied Humanism: How to Create More Effective and Ethical Organizations - https://humanistlearning.com/new-book-applied-humanism-how-to-create-more-effective-and-ethical-businesses/

Empower Yourself and Your Team with Humanist Learning Systems' Certified Courses

Looking to continue your education and develop new skills? Look no further than Humanist Learning Systems, where we offer a variety of courses and training programs that are designed to help you grow both personally and professionally.

At Humanist Learning Systems, we believe in the power of humanistic management principles to create a better world. That's why our courses are founded in these principles, emphasizing empathy, compassion, and ethical decision-making. We believe that by promoting these values, we can help create more fulfilling and productive workplaces, improve social justice, and empower individuals to be agents of positive change in their communities.

Certified Online Courses

One of the unique aspects of our online courses is that they are certified for HRCI, SHRM, CLE, CPE and other continuing education requirements, making them a valuable investment in your career development. These certifications show that you have completed a rigorous program of study and are committed to ongoing professional development.

We offer a range of courses, including those focused on topics like:

• Humanistic Management
• Change Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Workplace Harassment Prevention
• Communication Skills
• As well as federally mandated training

Group Training Information

All our courses can be provided to individuals or organized as staff training programs for organizations looking to improve their workplace culture and productivity. These programs can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your organization and are designed to be engaging and practical, providing employees with the skills and knowledge they need to be effective and compassionate leaders.

https://humanistlearning.com/about/group-discount-program-information/

Online Courses

At Humanist Learning Systems, we are committed to providing high-quality, accessible, and affordable education for all. Our courses are available online, making them convenient and flexible for busy professionals. We also offer scholarships for those who may not have the financial means to participate in our programs.

So why not take the next step in your personal and professional development? Check out our course catalog and staff training programs today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your goals and make a positive impact in the world.

Learn More:

https://humanistlearning.com/programsoffered/

Leading with Empathy and Understanding: The Power of Applied Humanistic Leadership

The world of leadership is constantly evolving, and the traditional, top-down approach is no longer effective in today's fast-paced, ever-changing business environment. In order to be successful, leaders must be able to adapt and change their style to suit the needs of their team and organization. That's where Applied Humanistic Leadership comes in.

Applied Humanistic Leadership is a leadership style that is based on the principles of humanism. It focuses on the importance of communication, reality-based decision making and the development of soft leadership skills. This style of leadership is all about creating a positive, empowering and collaborative work environment where people can thrive.

One of the key components of Applied Humanistic Leadership is humanistic communication. This means that leaders must be able to communicate effectively and empathetically with their team members. They must be able to understand their needs, concerns, and aspirations, and work to create a culture where everyone feels heard and respected.

Another important aspect of Applied Humanistic Leadership is reality-based decision making. Leaders must be able to make decisions based on the facts and information available to them, rather than relying on assumptions or stereotypes. This means taking the time to understand the situation, analyzing the data and considering the perspectives of others before making a decision.

Finally, Applied Humanistic Leadership is about developing soft leadership skills. This includes things like emotional intelligence, empathy, and self-awareness. Leaders who are able to understand and manage their own emotions and those of others, are more likely to be able to build trust and foster positive relationships with their team members.

If you're looking to improve your leadership skills, consider taking an online course in Applied Humanistic Leadership. At Humanist Learning Systems, we offer a certificate in Applied Humanistic Leadership that covers all of these topics and more. Our course is designed to help you develop the skills you need to become a more effective and compassionate leader. Sign up now and start your journey to becoming a more humanistic leader today.

Take the Course: https://humanistlearning.com/certificate-in-applied-humanistic-leadership/

note: written by Jennifer Hancock with the assistance of ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI

Applying the Principles of Humanism to Business

 Discussing how to apply the philosophy of Humanism to the business of business.

If you want to learn more:

• Take a course at https://humanistlearning.com/
• Get my book on Applied Humanism: https://humanistlearning.com/new-book-applied-humanism-how-to-create-more-effective-and-ethical-businesses/
  Or - get the short pamphlet book: https://humanistlearning.com/book-and-video-principles-of-humanistic-leadership/
• Or take one of my online courses:
• Certified Humanistic Leadership Professional - 16 hours
• Certificate in Applied Humanistic Leadership - 8 hours
• Principles of Humanistic Leadership - 2 hours

Creating Learning Programs that Actually Have an Impact

I was recently asked to weigh in on some questions about learning and development and whether or not they are worth the effort. My answer? It depends.

Q: How can learning and development support corporate KPI's (Key Performance Indicators)?

It depends on what you teach and why. Some training programs provide no improvement to KPI, others provide a lot. The challenge, as always, is to find programs that will actually help create changes in your staff’s performance.

Some are obvious – like learning new technology. Others are softer, like leadership skills and communication programs.  The hard skills often give you the most return on your educational investment because the employees need those skills to do their jobs.   The soft skills training are important too and can have a tremendous impact on output, but not all trainers provide trainings that work as this is a much more subjective area to measure.

Q: How will future trends in learning affect workplace skills development?

Obviously – people are moving to technology and online learning because It’s a cost-effective way to deliver training for most employers. For instance, I was just asked to bid on a job for a company with 7,000 employees spread out over 55 locations around the country. If we trained a location a day every day it would take us almost 2 months to complete that training. It would be a logistical nightmare to provide training for everyone that way. Online we can do it in a few days.  We also save on travel expenses, down time for employees and more. And we don’t have to worry about retake training if someone was absent the day of a live training.

You can also gauge learning through online tests to ensure comprehension of what is learned and record keeping for the training is easier online because the nature of how the training is conducted. This is important for mandatory trainings like harassment training.  However, online learning is not appropriate for every learning task or in every situation.

That 7,000 employee company I mentioned above is a manufacturing company. Only about 1/3 of their employees have access to computers. The rest work on a manufacturing floor. To get their employees trained, they have no choice but to do in person trainings or to arrange for online training in shifts for those workers which presents it’s own challenges. My point is that the solution will necessarily be a hybrid solution which is quite common. Most of my clients combine online learning with live Q&A sessions so that staff has an opportunity to dive deeper into the material and discuss real life applications of the soft skills training I just provided.

Q: Why should you use learning and development in your organization?

Training employees on how to do their job well is essential to every single job and employment situation.  At a minimum, companies need onboarding training for orientation purposes.  Ongoing training is helpful as it helps keep skills fresh, and to re-orient and refocus staff from time to time. It’s like reminding people of what they already know but why it’s important. Anytime you have a change in technology, you need to provide training on that new technology. Finally, there are some mandatory trainings that are done for liability purposes but that should be also be done to improve soft skills development.

For instance, harassment training. Most companies over a certain size provide harassment training. In some jurisdictions like CA, CT, ME and Canada – it’s mandatory to do this training.  Just doing this training reduces an employer’s liability should a harassment situation arise and they are sued.  The problem is most trainings don’t actually create any measurable change in behavior or value to the company aside from reduced liability.  This is because most of these trainings with few exceptions, don’t teach anything useful. They can be summed up in on sentence. Harassment is illegal so don’t do it.

But …. What if the training, in addition to saying it’s illegal so don’t do it also taught victims how to get it to stop?  That’s a training that is immediately valuable to the participants. It’s something they actually want to learn and are eager to learn and it will be put into practice immediately. When I do these sorts of trainings, my clients report an immediate change in how their offices function because every person is now applying what they learned.

Q: Why don't most training programs work?

Why don’t most soft skills training improve KPI?  It’s because what is being taught isn't useful. No amount of technology is going to change that. I once was asked in a learning and development discussion board about how people humanize their online learning programs. I was the only person who responded by talking about the needs of the learner. Everyone else was trying to humanize the trainer. The trainer doesn’t matter, the learned does!

The reason my trainings are so effective is because I use the self-interest of the learner to teach them what they want to know.  In harassment people already know it’s illegal. What they don’t know is what works to get it to stop. Almost all harassment training is focused on the harasser to try and get them to stop. It doesn’t work. It has never worked and it will never work. Why? Because harassers don’t want to stop. What they do works for them. No matter how many times you tell them "it’s illegal so don’t do that" you won't change their behavior. What works to change their behavior is to remove their reward. And you can’t remove their reward in a training.

This is why my training focuses on teaching the victims what they need to know. How exactly do you stop rewarding someone who is harassing you? How exactly do you document what is happening so you can get HR to assist you more effectively? In short, how do you retrain an obnoxious person to be less – obnoxious.  Everyone wants to learn that and that information is immediately useful to pretty much everyone, including people who bully, which is why after my trainings, they all implement what they have learned. 

To have an effective training, you don’t focus on what you want them to learn, you focus on what they want to learn and through that teach them what you want them to learn.

For instance, I have a course called How to Win Arguments Without Arguing: Socratic Jujitsu. It’s very popular as a personal development program. The first people who took it told me I had titled it wrong. It’s really a training on how to have discussions instead of arguments. But no one would take that course. I’m teaching people how to win arguments which people want to learn for their own selfish ego reasons. What they learn is a skill that they can immediately apply and get immediate positive results with by not arguing at all. It’s about teaching them to change their own behavior to change the behavior of others. Same thing with my harassment training – teaching people how to train other people to behave better, by changing your own behavior first. People really want to learn this and implement this knowledge immediately. If I focused on telling them they need to change, no one would want to learn it.

Focus on training the right people and provide them with the right motivation to learn and your training will be successful.

People who are motivated to learn will learn the content regardless of the format. If they are motivated to learn they will learn from books, audio books, videos and from live trainings. If they aren’t motivated to learn then it doesn't matter how good the training is, they probably won’t learn much.

Our focus as leaders and trainers and coaches should be on ensuring that what we teach is actually useful to the people we are teaching it to.  I provide my trainings in written form, video form, audio book form and live and in person. Why, because different people like to learn in different ways. It’s not up to me to dictate to them the learning format. What is important is what is learned.

Q: What analytics are important in measuring learning impact?

This is really 2 questions in 1. First, did they learn the material This can be done with a test to gauge comprehension of concepts.  The impact of learning though is often softer. Did it change anyone’s behavior?  With hard skill training, this is easy to gauge.  For instance, a safety training’s effectiveness can be gauged by its impact on the accident rate. I used to do a safety training for volunteers at an animal welfare shelter in Los Angeles. We reduced our accident rate so much we got a refund on our liability insurance. That’s a successful training, but that isn't surprising because it was a hard skills training.

Soft skills training are harder to measure but it can still be done. Did the training positively impact your employee turnover rate? Employee satisfaction?  Customer satisfaction surveys and more can all help you gauge whether the training helped.  For instance, if you were to do an effective implicit bias training, you would expect to see more diversity in hiring, less harassment complaints and more satisfaction with employees and customers.  All of that is measurable.

Why is a Learning Experience Platform the solution for corporate training in 2018?

It is a quick efficient way to deliver training to your employees.  Especially with onboarding and orientation. You can bring your new hire in, sit them at a computer and let them receive important safety training and corporate orientation training right there on the computer.  You can also use it to re-up training. Provide ongoing training and more. Is it cost effective?  Probably not for smaller companies, but for bigger companies with a lot of people working at computers already – yes.  For big companies that are manufacturing with a lot of people working on an assembly line? Not so much. It all depends on the company and their unique situation.

To learn more about the programs I offer, check out:

https://humanistlearning.com/programsoffered/

And yes - you can license my content for in house use on your corporate LMS.

Managing with Humanist Principles

Ethical, strategic & compassionate management. Sounds good doesn’t it. So why do so many managers fail to live up to this ideal?

First: many managers don’t receive training on how to be a manager. They get promoted from within and learn on the job. They do their best using the skills and knowledge they have acquired so far.

Second: Those that do get training rarely get training on how to manage people and ethics. They get trained on what needs to happen and how to report to even more senior managers. How to make ethical decisions in the context of your new role? Not covered.

Third: those that do go to business school are rarely taught the human and ethical aspects of management. A lot of what business school is about is finance. They focus on strategies to get work out of humans and in managing the bottom line. In other words how to balance the needs of the company with the need to make money and to ensure that the process through which goods and services are created and delivered are done in a way that maximizes profit.  If they get ethics training it’s usually in the context of how to not break the labor and environmental laws in the pursuit of profit.

The role of a manager is to coordinate the work of a group of people to accomplish a certain task. This work has to be coordinated in a way that a) gets the work done and b) gets it done in a way that is economically efficient. What is missing from this definition is that the work be done ethically.

For me, a humanistic manager is one who gets the function of management done in a way that is ethical, compassionate and strategic. Because a manager has to balance many competing demands, it is critical that they learn how to be strategic. This requires them to learn critical thinking and strategic planning so that they have the capability to make difficult decisions with competing demands so that they can accomplish the tasks required in a way that is ethical and effective.

If we don’t prioritize the ethical side of the equation and focus only on being effective, we don’t have good management. We have ok management. It’ll do management.

If we want managers to be ethical, strategic and compassionate, we have to prioritize those values and skills in our management training.

If you are looking for humanistic management training for you and your staff – I have a couple of quick online programs that will help.

1) Principles of Humanistic Management: https://humanistlearning.com/principles-of-humanistic-management/
2) The Seven Sins of Staff Management: https://humanistlearning.com/7-sins-of-staff-management/
3) And if you want to provide a new manager orientation that includes these management programs with sexual harassment training – consider my new manager orientation bundle: https://humanistlearning.com/new-manager-orientation-bundle/