Manchester United soccer fans came across an “injured” runner. The critical factor for the fans' willingness to help was whether the runner wore a Manchester United T-shirt or a plain, neutral T-shirt. The study's results clearly show that:

•  92% of fans helped when the runner wore a Manchester United T-shirt.
•  33% of fans helped when the runner wore a plain T-shirt.

The observation comes from Adam Grant's book "Give and Take" and highlights how our willingness to help others is influenced by perceived group membership.

This concept resonates with my own experience from last weekend, where I supported friends at a rural project - where we built outdoor areas like a pavillon or a small lodge. I noticed differences in how engaged other helpers were, which from my perspective was due to a similar sense of group identity—or lack thereof. Just as fans were more willing to help someone they saw as part of their in-group, helpers feel more motivated when they...

You do a product or strategy workshop and your teammates aren’t sharing their thoughts?

You try to coach more and ask more questions and you’re wondering why your colleagues are not responding as engaged as they should or could?!
Well, maybe you’ll need to reflect your expectations and change your communication culture a bit (and don’t expect that it’ll be done overnight).

Many managers we are working with blame their colleagues being too “introvert” or “shy”. But what do those two words really mean and are they really appropriate?

The oxford dictionary defines being shy as nervous or embarrassed about meeting and speaking to other people. An introvert is: a quiet person who is more interested in their own thoughts and feelings than in spending time with other people. Some also say that introverts recharge their batteries on their own while extroverts do in company. So reserved behaviour doesnt necessarily mean your team is not...