Mandy Harris

Thomas Edison once remarked that “genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” Genius that Edison was, his statement encourages leaders to seriously undervalue inspiration’s importance to business outcomes. Recent research into the science and psychology of inspiration reveals it’s a critical component of creative and productive output. Yet, inspiration is notoriously difficult to come by. Inspiration is evoked, rather than willed into existence. We’re all familiar with the trope of an anguished artist searching for his muse. And, to a certain extent, the tendency to be swept away by inspiration seems to be written into our DNA. Those of us who can regularly reach dizzying heights of inspiration are more productive. Inventors holding multiple patents tend to score

When most people hear the word “dictator,” they think of some outrageous characters. Darth Vader, Dr. Evil, certain psychopaths in the headlines. No one thinks of themselves as a dictator. But dictators in business are a common bunch. They’re just not so easy to spot because they don’t wear a pitch-black exoskeleton. If you’re a leader in business looking to avoid the dark side, you need to know these 3 key differences between a leader and a dictator. Leaders Inspire, Not Intimidate Telling an employee, if they don’t get a certain task done on Friday, to not bother coming in on Monday is a classic dictator move. Dictators use intimidation and fear to ply their employees into getting the job