behavior-hack
Craft the Job You Have
People wait for a better role to be handed to them. The research says reshaping the job they already have moves engagement more than a new title does. It starts with one question in your next 1:1.
engagement
think-piece
The Handbook Is Not the Culture
Companies write down a version of their culture, then act surprised when the real one diverges. The handbook is a wish. The culture is what happened the last time someone tested a stated value and nobody pushed back.
think-piece
Wellbeing Is Not Mood Management
Most wellness platforms ask "how are you today?" That data averages to noise at the org level, because mood is yesterday's sleep. Climate (growth, agency, meaning) changes on month-scale.
research-drop
The Spotlight Effect
We think people noticed our slip. Mostly they didn't. Gilovich's research shows we overestimate how much others watch us by about twice the actual rate.
think-piece
Culture Is Not a Destination
Most culture programs fail because they treat culture like a destination. It isn't. It's a gradient that shifts every day in small, mostly invisible ways. The question is which way it's drifting.
think-piece
Retention Is a Lagging Indicator
The decision to leave is made months before the resignation. Your turnover dashboard is a history book. If you want to change retention, stop measuring it.
behavior-hack
The Yes, And Rule
Improv comedians never say "no, but." They say "yes, and." When teams adopt this single rule for brainstorming, idea volume increases and the ideas that survive are more original.
think-piece
When Autonomy Backfires
Self-determination theory says autonomy drives motivation. But research shows that without clarity on direction and boundaries, autonomy creates anxiety, decision paralysis, and worse performance.
behavior-hack
The Fresh Start Effect
People are 33% more likely to start a new habit on a Monday, the first of the month, or after a birthday. Temporal landmarks create a psychological "reset" that separates the old self from the new one.
research-drop
The Temporal Discounting Trap
People consistently choose $100 today over $120 next month. The same bias explains why teams skip strategy for urgent busywork, and why quarterly goals beat annual ones.
research-drop
The Mere Exposure Effect
Zajonc's research revealed something counterintuitive: we don't like things because we know them. We like them because we've seen them. Remote workers lose influence not from worse work, but from less visibility.
behavior-hack
The Question Nobody Asks in Exit Interviews
Most exit interviews ask "why are you leaving?" The better question: "what almost made you leave before?" It surfaces fixable problems instead of post-hoc rationalizations.