Latest news with #corporateleadership
Forbes
09-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
If You Don't Know You, Who's Leading?
Dr. Laura Vanderberg, PCC is the Chief Scientist and Leadership Developer at Newton Services, LLC. Self-awareness may not be the first thing you think of when someone asks you about characteristics of great leaders—but maybe it should! Sure, it doesn't show up on a resume or get celebrated in a performance review, but all successful leaders have a healthy dose of it. And they have to work to maintain it because it's something that can get lost as they move up the corporate ladder. It's not just about knowing your strengths (or unrealized strengths), it's about recognizing the patterns behind your thoughts, your choices and even how you show up in the world. The action that grows self-awareness is self-reflection, looking inward—with consideration. It's how leaders gain insight. So what exactly is self-awareness? It's the ability to notice and understand your thoughts, actions and emotions without being swept away by them. And it includes both internal and external components—meaning how well you understand yourself and how well you understand the way others perceive you (they're not always the same thing). Most of us think we're far more self-aware than we actually are, and the good news in this is that there's room for improvement—for all of us! Here are four real-world reasons why self-awareness matters. When you have healthy self-awareness, you: 1. Make better decisions with fewer regrets. Self-aware people pause, reflect and respond with intention. No knee-jerk reactions here. 2. Build stronger relationships. You communicate more clearly, listen better and recover from conflict more quickly. Because of this, working with and leading others goes much more smoothly! 3. Are more resilient. When you can name what's going on inside, you bounce back faster. You can also regulate your emotions, which lowers stress and improves well-being. 4. Lead authentically. People trust leaders who know themselves. You show up consistently, create psychological safety and build teams that thrive. The relationship between self-awareness and leadership effectiveness is well-documented (download required). Self-aware leaders tend to have higher emotional intelligence and greater performance outcomes than their less-aware counterparts. Their employees are more motivated and have higher productivity and better job satisfaction. There's some neuroscience at work here. Our brains are wired toward maintaining the status quo. It prefers to take shortcuts (registration required), make assumptions and jump to conclusions, which isn't always helpful. It actually works against our conscious awareness until we train it otherwise. But it can be trained! I can hear the collective groan: Oh boy, more training, who has time for training? Training your brain isn't something that has to be done independently of everything else you do in a day—it's part of what you do every day. Here are a few quick and extremely useful ways to begin to increase your self-awareness. The first two are self-reflective. The third includes a helper and then requires self-reflection. Remember, self-reflection is the action that increases self-awareness. 1. Check in. Set an alarm or a timer, or designate a few times each day, to check in. This is a 60-second activity. Alarm goes off, you pause. Notice what you're doing, what you're telling yourself in that moment, your mood, maybe how your body feels. Extra points if you jot a quick note. You'll begin to be more internally aware and how different activities, times of day and/or interactions affect you. 2. Get curious. When you react to something (we all do it!), ask yourself what happened rather than jumping in with guilt or blame. It's amazing what you can learn about yourself by doing this—and it can be done in a matter of seconds. 3. Ask for feedback. This one requires a trusted friend or colleague and a willingness to be a little uncomfortable—all of which is necessary for growth. Ask them, 'What's something I do that I might not be aware of?' Then listen. Hear what they share. Thank them. Do not get defensive or emotional. You asked for it, and they are sharing from a place of positive intention. Then consider what's been shared and what you will do with the information. Self-reflection is a lifelong practice to maintain our self-awareness. It's not a one-and-done check in the box. The way we start, and the way we can continually make progress, is to pause and reflect. And we keep doing it. The objective is not perfection, it's reflection! What's one part of your day where you could practice being more intentional, more self-aware? How might outcomes change if you did? The more you see yourself clearly, the more equipped you are to lead with integrity, relate with empathy and grow with intention. Who doesn't want some of that? Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
Forbes
08-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Ending Unlimited PTO Doesn't Solve Underlying Workforce Issues
Ending unlimited PTO won't fix poor performance or burnout—honest feedback and a healthy culture ... More that supports time off are what truly matter. Bolt, the e-commerce technology company, recently reversed its policy of offering employees unlimited paid time off (PTO) and now requires 'mandatory' four weeks of vacation. The reason, CEO Ryan Breslow explained, is that 'when time off is undefined, the good ones don't take PTO. The bad ones take too much.' Based on my forty-five years in the corporate world, including as chair and CEO of Baxter International, I question whether this change addresses two underlying workforce issues that the Bolt CEO alludes to in his quote. First, the so-called 'bad ones' taking off too much time is a performance issue, which limiting PTO will not change. Whether someone is off for two weeks, four weeks, or six weeks a year doesn't change the fact that they are not meeting expectations. The only remedy is honest and frequent feedback between managers and their direct reports. One significant benefit of giving continuous feedback is that it minimizes and, ideally, eliminates anyone being surprised to learn that they are falling short of performance standards or that they are simply in the wrong job. However, when these people receive open, honest, and direct feedback on an ongoing basis, they know that the job is not working out. In many cases, they will leave before being fired. Equally concerning are the 'good ones' who aren't taking enough PTO. Clearly, there is no performance issue here; in fact, they're probably exceeding expectations. So why aren't they taking vacation? It could be that the workload is so heavy, they fear falling behind if they are out for more than a few days at a time. If so, then it's up to managers to ensure that there is a plan in place to support people in taking off time from work, whether asking others to pitch in or adjusting timelines to ease the pressure. More problematic is the perception, implicit or explicit, that top performers don't take vacation. This is a culture issue, and it's common to many high-performance organizations. A case in point, a few years ago Goldman Sachs implemented an unlimited PTO policy for senior bankers. The move seemed contrary to Goldman's hard-driving culture. In fact, according to the New York Times, 'the bank's move hasn't led to much cheering at a place where employees build their careers on being available to clients anytime, anywhere. Goldman, in particular, has long prided itself on that ethos — so much so that its leaders rarely use all their holidays and often forgo out-of-office messages.' In other words, simply telling top performers that they can take their vacation doesn't mean they will — especially if it goes against the culture. I'll never forget the conversation I had with someone who told me, with pride in his voice, that when he retired he had 19 weeks of accumulated vacation. That's nearly five months of vacation time not taken! Another friend told me it had been '16 months since I had more than one day off.' The exact number — 16 months — made me think she was keeping score. If you feel guilty about taking time off because of your work responsibilities, think of it this way: paid vacation time is part of your compensation—one way your employer rewards you. So why wouldn't you take your vacation the same way you accept your paycheck and other benefits? If you think not taking vacation will earn you a badge of honor, think again. And if you are rolling over vacation days in order to be paid for them when you leave, you are missing out on some significant benefits now, both personally and professionally. Throughout my corporate career, I worked very hard. However, no matter what my job title and responsibilities were I always took all of my vacation days for the year. Of course, I wanted to spend those days with my family, while also devoting more time to seeing friends, exercising and engaging in leisure activities, and self-reflecting. In addition, I recognized that vacation time actually improved my performance. I also knew that, whether I was the manager of a small team or the CEO running a company with 50,000 employees, when I set the example of taking vacation, people noticed and did the same. Getting away and 'unplugging' from work helps avoid burnout—a problem that is on the rise in the U.S. affecting two-thirds of people, according to one study. In addition, research shows that people who take time away from work reap significant health benefits. New research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology emphasizes taking several days of vacation at a time results in 'psychological detachment' and increased physical activities 'may be the most beneficial for improving employee well-being.' Taking vacation helps you avoid the 'I'm irreplaceable' trap, which can stymie your career. To explain, consider a scenario I've witnessed many times. Two managers, Henry and Beth, report to the department head, Ralph. One day, Ralph calls the two managers, telling them he's leaving for New York in an hour and needs summaries of the analyses their teams have been working on. Henry springs into action. He tells the people on his team that he needs a summary, pronto! As soon as he receives the information, Henry sprints to Ralph's office, rehearsing in his head the brilliant presentation he's about to make that will show just how valuable and irreplaceable he is. Beth has a different approach, which is more focused on developing her team. She tells them, 'Get your notes and come with me. We've got a presentation to make to Ralph.' Flash forward to when Ralph hears the news that a senior manager is going to retire and needs to be replaced. As Ralph thinks about who could step up to that job, it strikes him that Henry can't be moved because his team can't function if he isn't there. Beth, however, has demonstrated that several people on her team could take over for her. No surprise — Beth gets promoted. There's a moral to this cautionary tale: If you aren't taking vacation because you want everyone to see how irreplaceable you are in your current job, it may be a self-fulfilling prophecy. You're off for a week — going to the beach, trekking to the mountains, or even having a 'staycation' to relax with family and friends. Whatever you enjoy doing, you're engaging in some well-earned recreation. Now, think about that word for a moment. Its Old French and Latin roots point to a deeper meaning than merely 'fun.' Rather, recreation is about restoring, renewing, and refreshing — even recovery. That's a potent incentive to take your vacation and come back to work energized.
Bloomberg
23-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
The Anti-DEI Crusade Hasn't Stopped Women Leaders
Progress for female executives has always been so slow and plodding that every milestone, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant, gets celebrated. But recently, sounding the alarm for women in corporate America has supplanted cheering the wins. And no wonder — a growing list of data points signal that the right's attack on DEI is chipping away at women's progress toward the boardroom and corner office:
Khaleej Times
22-06-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
How to reverse your biological age? Somatic coach offers tips
After over a decade in corporate leadership, London-based Somatic & Nervous System Coach Estee Lantos found herself facing a wake-up call—her body was aging faster than it should, and chronic stress was taking a toll she could no longer ignore. What followed was a radical shift: she left her high-powered role, reversed her autoimmune condition, and began aligning her life with a more feminine, regulated, and sustainable rhythm. Today, she helps individuals and organisations reclaim vitality through nervous system regulation, somatic healing, and biohacking from the inside out. We sat down with Estee to explore her journey, the science behind stress, and what it really means to 'regulate' in a dysregulated world. Your personal wellness journey is deeply intertwined with your professional evolution. What was the defining moment that made you leave corporate leadership and fully commit to healing? You could say it was meant to be, timing-wise, as our company had just been acquired. After supporting the integration journey, it became a natural opportunity for me to take the leap and move closer to a more aligned path with deeper purpose. In parallel, I had measured my own biological age and realised that stress had caused me to age faster—I was eight years older than my chronological age. So I committed to reversing this, and after succeeding, I decided to turn that process into a programme to help others too. What does it truly mean to have a "regulated nervous system," and why is it such a game-changer in today's high-stress world? It means that you are flexible enough to return to calm states after facing challenges (whether that's emotional or physical). Having a regulated nervous system is transformative for different reasons, including better overall health (mental & physical), stronger relationships and more authentic connection with others, improved decision-making, creativity, and more resilience to further stress. You mention reversing your autoimmune condition and biological age—what were some of the core practices that helped you achieve that? It was a holistic approach—but the key strategy was to address factors where I do have influence. Because we all have certain genetic risks, but you can change a lot by working on other factors such as addressing the triggers coming from your lifestyle, improving your gut health, or improving your relationship with yourself. Plus continuing to focus on various health optimisation practices I have already been doing—including prioritising sleep and my circadian rhythm, cycle syncing—following the infradian rhythm of the female body, spending time in nature, etc. When I say addressing the triggers, in my case, that was stress and also gluten. And so I cut out gluten completely, transformed my stress through body-based and somatic modalities which were so powerful that they are now part of my programme as well, and I'm teaching it to my clients. But triggers can be unique for everybody—so it's always important to understand your unique situation rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. (It may be hormonal changes, toxins, infections, etc.) For those unfamiliar, how would you describe the concept of nervous system regulation in simple terms? It's having more conscious control over when to speed up and when to slow down. Because stress is not good or bad—it's just mobilisation energy. It's needed and helpful, but we need to be able to turn it off. There is constant two-way communication between your brain and the body—so with nervous system regulation interventions, we find a way to influence how we signal safety to our system, so we can turn the stress response off when we don't need it anymore. Sadly, in today's high-stress world, many people are stuck in stress mode and sometimes not even aware of it, as it's so normalised. Can you explain how TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises) works and what a typical session with you might look like? During a typical TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises) session, we begin with seven simple exercises—gentle stretches and muscle activations—to prepare the body for release. While lying on a mat, natural involuntary tremors are activated, allowing the body to discharge deep tension and stress. This tremoring is completely natural and safe (animals do it too after stress), and while no talking is required, memories or emotions may gently surface to be released. The process is very gentle, and in fact, most of my clients smile the first time they activate the shaking—it's a unique and often surprising experience to witness your body letting go in a safe container. What are some signs that someone's nervous system is dysregulated, even if they 'seem fine' on the outside? There are a bunch of different signs—I will leave the list below—but let me share one which to me was the most surprising: when I notice myself getting more clumsy than usual, it's a sign of that too. It's great that I know it now, as I can slow down, stop, and bring myself back to a more balanced state before it gets bigger. But here are some of the most common ones I see with my clients: Mental & Emotional ● Chronic anxiety, worry, or restlessness ● Harsh self-talk ● Mood swings, irritability, or feeling easily overwhelmed ● Emotional numbness, disconnection, or inability to feel joy ● Brain fog, poor concentration, or memory issues Sleep & Energy ● Trouble falling or staying asleep ● Waking up tired or feeling unrefreshed ● Persistent fatigue or burnout, even with rest ● Sudden energy crashes or wired-but-tired states Physical ● Chronic muscle tension (neck, jaw, shoulders, lower back) ● Digestive issues (bloating, IBS, nausea—linked to vagal tone) ● Headaches or migraines ● Sensitivity to noise, light, or touch ● Heart rate staying higher than usual, breathing remains shallow or quick ● Heart palpitations, etc. Other Procrastination, over-controlling, perfectionism, or hyper-independence; Difficulty relaxing or 'doing nothing'; Startling easily or always feeling "on alert". You're both a biohacker and a coach grounded in trauma-informed methods—how do you blend hard science and somatic wisdom in your work? Just reading this question lights me up because this intersection truly excites me. I believe the right combination of strategies is key—they can be very complementary—but we have to start with the foundations first. You can't biohack your way out of dysregulation from the outside in; it has to begin from the inside out. In fact, I'm living proof, along with some of the people I've recently worked with, that doing just the cool biohacking stuff isn't as effective if your body is still stuck in survival mode or parts of you aren't fully integrated. For me, it's about marrying data with felt experience, precision with compassion. This fusion allows us to tailor interventions that are not only scientifically sound but deeply human, empowering clients to reclaim nervous system resilience at every level. Plus, somatic wisdom is increasingly validated by hard science, so it's only a matter of time before science fully catches up. There's a lot of noise in the biohacking space. What are three tools or practices you genuinely swear by? It all comes back to giving yourself support to get the foundations right. Number one for me is sleep. I make sure to get morning light in my eyes, filter out blue light in the evening, and use mouth taping to encourage proper nose breathing throughout the night. I've been consistent with these habits for over seven years, and if I skip them, my sleep data clearly shows a drop in restorative sleep. Since we've talked a lot about stress, I also recommend tracking heart rate variability (HRV) to understand your personal patterns and triggers—this is super helpful for managing and transforming stress. But just as important are the other basics: eating real, clean, preferably organic whole foods, staying properly hydrated, moving regularly, and your community/connections. You work with biological age testing—can you walk us through how stress shows up in those results and how your approach shifts it? Chronic stress is inflammatory, and when we test biological age, we look at markers of sustained low-grade inflammation—often referred to as inflammaging. This type of inflammation is one of the hallmarks of aging and plays a key role in accelerating biological wear and tear. How you nourish yourself, sleep, move, and respond to stress all deeply influence your internal environment—either fuelling or reducing that chronic inflammation. That's why, in my approach, I always start with the nervous system—helping clients shift out of survival mode and regulate their stress response using a combination of somatic and mind-driven tools. Once that foundation is in place, we layer in tailored recommendations for cellular health, nutrition, movement, and recovery—evidence-based strategies that not only enhance overall well-being but can also measurably improve biological age markers over time. And all of it is based on each client's unique test results.
Fast Company
18-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
More women in the boardroom can lead to safer companies
Including women in corporate boardrooms does more than diversify leadership —recent research shows it can also lead to safer job sites, potentially saving companies from costly safety incidents. Companies with more women on their boards tend to have fewer workplace safety incidents—especially when these women hold positions of power within the board, according to an analysis of workplace safety at 266 companies between 2002 and 2011. These findings were published in April in the Journal of Operations Management. 'What's cool about this paper is . . . by exploring the human element, it really sheds a new light on the firm's operations and why there's variability in different operational processes,' said study coauthor Kaitlin Wowak, an associate professor of business analytics at the University of Notre Dame. Companies in the U.S. spend more than a billion dollars each week on workplace safety incidents. These incidents—which range from strikes and shutdowns to worker injuries—cause reputational harm and lost profits and can lead to loss of life or limb for employees. Learning more about how workplace leadership impacts safety is one step toward mitigating these harms. To gauge differences in workplace safety between the companies analyzed, the study authors examined data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), director-level information from Institutional Shareholder Services, and regulatory violation data from the Violation Tracker database. They found boards with more women had fewer recorded incidents. These safety benefits were even more pronounced when women held positions of power on the board, such as seats on influential committees, researchers found. When women have these positions of power, they are not only able to express their perspectives more freely, but others also pay more attention to their ideas, explained Corinne Post, coauthor of the study and professor of business leadership, management, and operations at Villanova University. The researchers theorize that the difference in safety outcomes between boards with and without women may come down to men and women having different socio-cognitive approaches to stakeholder concerns, risk assessment, and regulatory compliance. These different approaches stem from having different experiences to bring to boardroom discussions. Women are, for example, more likely to have experience with community outreach and philanthropy, researchers note in the study. Having these different specialties and experiences represented in decision-making are a benefit of diversified leadership more broadly, the researchers say. 'It's not just gender diversity, too, it's all forms of diversity [that are important],' Wowak said. 'When you have different backgrounds and different cognitions, you bring a different perspective to decision making that's truly beneficial.' This research is the first to establish a link between operational safety and diversity in upper leadership, adding to a growing literature that provides the business case for diverse leadership. 'I was happy to see the findings, but not surprised,' said Michael Abebe, a professor of management at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley who researches diversity in business leadership. He said the new study shows another facet of the benefits gender diversity in leadership can bring to a company—and how the research focus on diversity in leadership has changed over time. Abebe mentions that for many years, studies about diversity in leadership generally focused on the 'glass ceiling,' an invisible barrier that keeps women and minorities out of leadership even in otherwise diverse professions. But over the years, the field of study evolved to focus on the business case of diversifying companies—and how more diverse leaders can lead to positive business outcomes. The paper's authors acknowledge that this field of study is relatively new and say there is still a lot to explore at the board level and beyond. 'There are multiple different echelons that future scholars should explore, because they all impact a firm's operations in potentially different ways,' Wowak said. For companies looking to turn these present and future research findings into real change, Abebe recommends 'rethinking how we recruit, where we recruit, and go beyond the conventional' to create more pathways to the top for women in the workforce. 'Having women on the board does present an opportunity to really run better businesses,' Post said. 'It's not just about putting women in there . . . but it's putting them in a position where they can actually voice their ideas more.'
