Psychologists have a name for this: binary bias. It’s a basic human tendency to seek clarity and closure by simplifying a complex continuum into two categories.4

The opposite of armchair quarterback syndrome is impostor syndrome, where competence exceeds confidence.

I believe that good teachers introduce new thoughts, but great teachers introduce new ways of thinking.

Ron Berger or rewrite a textbook with Erin McCarthy.

You’re expected to doubt what you know, be curious about what you don’t know, and update your views based on new data.

Sustain talk is commentary about maintaining the status quo. Change talk is referencing a desire, ability, need, or commitment to make adjustments.

I’ve watched too many leaders shield themselves from task conflict. As they gain power, they tune out boat-rockers and listen to bootlickers. They become politicians, surrounding themselves with agreeable yesmen and becoming more susceptible to seduction by sycophants. Research reveals that when their firms perform poorly, CEOs who indulge flattery

We learn more from people who challenge our thought process than those who affirm our conclusions. Strong leaders engage their critics and make themselves stronger. Weak leaders silence their critics and make themselves weaker. This reaction isn’t limited to people in power. Although we might be on board with the principle, in practice we often mis

accountability, people tend to stay within their comfort zone, and when there’s accountability but not safety, people tend to stay silent in an anxiety zone. When we combine the two, we create a learning zone.19 People feel free to experiment—and to poke holes in one another’s experiments in service of making them better. They become a challenge ne