Whitepapers

Here’s the problem with the common wisdom to “just be yourself.” Even though people like to think they’re at their best when they’re being authentic, that just isn’t true. Especially for career development, authenticity can be problematic. Our so-called authentic impulses include behavior we resist for good reason. Imagine if you showed every single one of your…

“What is your greatest weakness?” Most people respond to this common interview question by naming a weakness in the form of an exaggerated strength (e.g., “I care too much about my clients”). Yet this kind of claim may be more accurate than they realize. Our greatest strengths can indeed become our greatest weaknesses when overused. What seem to be personality strengths…

Guess how many employees want a culture where everyone feels included? Nearly everyone—99 percent—values a workplace with an inclusive culture. In one sense, the conditions for inclusion are straightforward: the values of leadership determine the values of the organization. That means to build an inclusive culture, you need inclusive leaders. So what happens when an organization lacks…

An organization’s employee experience (EX) has been connected in recent years to how it delivers its customer experience (CX). Given changing dynamics in the labor force and all the ways technology makes it possible for companies, employees, and customers to be connected, I believe it’s time for leaders to double down on the idea that EX is now the key driver of CX and to find smarter,…

Private equity firms excel at finance and technology but too often lag in talent strategy, particularly in portfolio company management. While many private equity firms already assess leaders through interviews and track record analysis, these methods can miss critical predictors of success. Unsurprisingly, more than half of private equity leaders surveyed in 2024 said the most critical challenge…