“Learning to lead is a process of learning by doing. It can’t be taught in a classroom. It is a craft primarily acquired through on-the-job experiences — especially adverse experiences in which the new manager, working beyond his current capabilities, proceeds by trial and error.”

— Dr. Linda Hill, Harvard University

A quick search on Amazon for books about leadership returns roughly 10,000 results. That’s a lot of information…

But the good news is, you don’t need to read all those books to become a good leader. In fact, you don’t need to read any of them.

But the bad…

There are plenty of people that don’t mean well. They don’t want to wear masks or do anything that they’re told to — unless, of course, they’re encouraged to do it by a far-right media outlet or, unfortunately, the current president of the United States.

But there are other people — maybe they’re you and me — who mean well, but who are still in danger of, albeit unknowingly, helping to spread COVID-19.

Specifically, it’s your brain’s fault.

You Are Not a Freethinker

In order to survive, your brain has evolved to help you make decisions faster, and simplify the way you process incoming information…

Many of our issues arise only because we don’t know what we really need.

When you don’t realize what you really need is to talk to someone about what happened to you, you can end up burning yourself out, working to distract yourself from the pain. Likewise, when you don’t realize what you really need is to deal with your commitment issues, you just end up breaking up (again).

Not knowing what you need is dangerous. Instead of getting a diagnosis and taking the correct medication, you end up reaching for whatever is fast, easy, and cheap. …

There is a way out of the culture wars that plague our nations. Although it may feel like it, there hasn’t been a draft and you don’t need to enlist. There’s no need to dodge. You can stay where you are. Plant a garden. Raise a family.

It feels overwhelming to have an opinion about everything that’s going on. At one point in our history, it would have been understandable. But with the rate that information is increasing, there’s no way to be properly informed about every issue affecting our world.

So what are you to do when people want…

If you’re like me, your anxiety inflates what you focus on.

You sit down to write your daily blog post, aiming to produce one high-quality article. Your mind focuses on what you have to do. And almost immediately, your palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. The pressure of the task becomes overwhelming. You can’t come up with a topic or a title. You’re stuck and overwhelmed.

Writing is difficult. And there’s a cognitive bias that often makes it even more difficult.

Anchoring Bias

Your mind has many built-in biases. And one of the most common is anchoring bias — which…

You could spend all day reading articles about how to improve. You could listen to lots of podcasts. You could watch lots of videos.

But most of what you’ll get from doing those things is more information.

And information alone won’t help you.

Yes, you’re right. What’s missing is applying that information. But there’s something else missing without which the information and the application will be useless.

“If more information were the answer, we’d all be billionaires with six-pack abs.” — Derek Sivers

Without awareness, you have nothing. If you don’t see where you need to grow, you will not…

Minimalists are right. It’s what you remove from your life that improves it, not what you add. And your mind benefits from this same sort of subtraction.

Sure, education and adding information are vital. But the most educated person with a mind filled with biases will never reach their intellectual potential. And they’ll struggle to make good decisions.

Your mind is filled with biases — no offense. And these cognitive biases are difficult to notice. They are the water in which you swim and live.

One of the most common cognitive biases is Anchoring Bias — which refers to favoring…

I don’t know what you’re going through. But I know that life is really hard.

I know you’ve been navigating a pandemic — and all that comes with that. I know you’ve been experiencing mental health issues — because, to one degree or another, we all do.

And there’s a host of other things that could be trying to tear you down. Maybe you’re dealing with racism, sexism, or poverty. Maybe you’re struggling to find a job, or to just have hope for tomorrow.

I’m sorry for everything you’re going through — all the circumstances trying to turn your light…