Wisdom in fragments

We need to challenge the notion that if you don't feel like a superhero, then you must not be the right person for the job. Today's most important challenges are met by teams of people, as opposed to a single superhero.

NASA Astronaut & Space Shuttle Mission Specialist

Trust is the golden thread that runs through not just a kidnap negotiation or a business deal, but life in general. It takes a long time to build, but it's lost in an instant. Trust is about following through—doing what you say you're going to do.

Wisconsin Governor and 2016 Presidential Candidate

Self-awareness—the ability to emotionally self-regulate, which is the number one skill of the world's best negotiators. It's about tapping into your red centre and asking, 'What's really showing up for me right now?' It's about recognizing your biases, unhelpful thinking, or negative intentions.

Wisconsin Governor and 2016 Presidential Candidate

There's a place deep inside all of us that we can access no matter what we're facing—personally or professionally. No matter the adversity, challenge, or overwhelming circumstances, there's a place within us that helps us feel strong, stable, grounded, and centered. And it doesn't take much to access it.

Wisconsin Governor and 2016 Presidential Candidate

Most people misunderstand what a negotiation is. In my experience, it's simply a conversation with a purpose. We tend to rush to problem-solving, eager to reach the solution, often leapfrogging several important steps. But to get the best possible deal for everyone, it starts with the right mindset.

Wisconsin Governor and 2016 Presidential Candidate

I think it's that dynamic of information coming from your trusted peer. This has always been the source of the most trusted information. Your reinforcement is coming from people that you like, people that you trust. And you're shaping and having that discussion amongst yourselves.

Disinformation researcher and Stanford Internet Observatory fellow studying online manipulation

Social media really orients us around our identity and our interests because of the way those connections are formed. It's going to suggest people for you to follow, groups for you to join, and so it slots you according to what you're most likely to be interested in based on your individual and group identity.

Disinformation researcher and Stanford Internet Observatory fellow studying online manipulation

The rumour is often significantly more interesting than the facts. And the rumour is often very persuasive to the people who've heard it; they've heard it from somebody they trust. When the target says, 'No, that's not true,' the audience says, 'Oh, of course he or she would deny it,' and so it really puts the target at a disadvantage.

Disinformation researcher and Stanford Internet Observatory fellow studying online manipulation

Rumours are unofficial information that passes from person to person. People share rumours because it makes them more part of their community. It's very pro-social. You hear something that sounds interesting—it piques your interest—you share it with your neighbour: 'Hey, did you hear…?' This is just a social behaviour that people have done in groups forever; it's just part of human society.

Disinformation researcher and Stanford Internet Observatory fellow studying online manipulation

All three of these causal forces manifest to such a degree of intensity as they do today. They have always been present but have not had this degree of intensity and not all at once. That's what makes this a particularly dangerous moment.

There's this sense that our institutions have failed us. The very rich generally pay lower effective tax rates than middle-class and lower-income individuals. There's a sense that the system is broken, the rules of the game are rigged.

The idea that you will sit down with someone who's had 30 or 40 years of lived experience and then somehow get them to change their mind in one sitting is implausible.

What you might think of as a cognitive response is really a product of the lived experiences you bring to the table. You might think of them as irrational, but in their analysis, it may be you who is irrational.

Just as you wouldn't want a surgeon to go from one operating theater to the next without having washed their hands, you don't want a manager to go from one context to the next without being in a position where they can actually do some good—or at least do no harm.

When we have the vocabulary to describe our feelings, we can create a mental model in our brains around our experiences. I'm feeling anxious because I'm uncertain about the outcome.

Psychologist & Director of Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence

We have an emotion categorization for a reason. Anger is about injustice, disappointment is about unmet expectations, and when you feel pride, it's because you've achieved some kind of goal you've been working hard for.

Psychologist & Director of Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence