Dan Cable
Guest is known for...
Dan Cable is Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School. Dan’s research and teaching focus on employee engagement, change, organizational culture, leadership mindset, and the linkage between brands and employee behaviors. Dan was selected for the 2018 Thinkers50 Radar List, The Academy of Management has twice honored Dan with “Best article” awards, and The Academy of Management Perspectives ranked Dan in the “Top 25 most influential management scholars.”
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In our conversation, we spoke about his journey including a cancer diagnosis which led him to examine his life and make pivotal choices. We go deep into his book “Exceptional” where he speaks about how we all can unlock our “best self” by using the highlights reel, a concept that we are familiar with in the realm of sports. Gathering and reflecting on our highlights reel could open up new possibilities that can help us play to our potential.
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From the Podcast
Dan speaks about how being diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma brought him close to death and how that clarified a lot of things for him. He speaks about a phenomenon called “transience aversion” in that context and speaks about how he moved forward with purpose coming out of that event.
Dan speaks about the notion of a “highlights reel” like in sports. He suggests that we reach out to people that we have interacted with across domains (not restricted to work) and get feedback on their memory of a time when we were exceptional. He suggests that we reflect on that and use that as a compass as we navigate our journey forward.
Dan speaks about why people find it extremely uncomfortable and awkward to talk about people strengths when they are around while when somebody passes away, we are generous with the eulogy. He speaks about why there should be a barrier in us having a “eulogy like” feedback conversation with a person when he/she is alive.
Dan speaks about how elite athletes conjure up peak performance when it matters the most. He speaks about how even some of the Olympians experience imposter’s syndrome. He speaks about the notion of neuroplasticity and how this can help performance.
Dan speaks about how we can think about our strengths when we are at an inflection point. He goes on to say that recognizing our strengths is not about being stuck to the past but really about stretching into new areas that could help us lead a more authentic life and sometimes cues for this could come from domains outside of work.
Dan expands on the phrase “Emotional Labour”. This the effort that a lot of us put in where we feel we are not being our true selves and have to put on a mask. He speaks about the connection between his work in the role of highlights reel and advances in neuroscience.
Dan speaks about the nuances in delivering feedback that could help people activate their best self. In organizations, feedback is often the key lever for development but very often, no formal attention is given to how people deliver the feedback. He also speaks about the role of gratitude as an emotion in galvanizing a group of people around you.
Dan speaks about how the Highlights reel should ideally be consumed. He suggests a big-bang approach where we collect and accumulate a critical mass of content in the highlights before absorbing them. He suggests that we create the space for us to receive it and reflect on it. If we end up doing it as a drip feed, there is a risk of those drips getting drowned in the daily noise in our life.
Dan speaks about engaging different parts of our brain in expressing ourself. He speaks about how he uses LEGO Serious Play to have participants in his course express themselves in the context of their journeys and the future they are trying to create for themselves.
Dan speaks about situations where we might get into trouble by overusing our strengths. He speaks about how we should watch out for those situations and ensure that our strengths don’t become derailers. He speaks about the combination of awareness and intelligence required to navigate these situations.