Just Saying - The BRIEF Lab Joe McCormack

Every executive or leader I’ve encountered all think that they are clear. Nobody thinks to themselves, “wow, was I so confusing in that last conversation!” What seems perfectly logical and reasonable in your head, often sounds confusing when it’s said aloud. This week, I share four distinct possibilities that might contribute to your tendency to […]

Imagine the odd feeling of standing in silence on a long elevator ride filled with a mix of friends and strangers.  Enduring silence can be a momentary reality in conversations, interviews, meetings and presentations. It can feel uncomfortable, strange and even embarrassing. Rather than look at it as cringeworthy, we need to manage and even […]

You expect a leader to talk like one. However, in a variety of moments professionals talk like amateurs. They speak over and for their subordinates, dilute their own words, and pull punches with weak, apologetic language. In this episode, I share three simple practices that can make you sound like you really run the place.

Like a picture hanging on a wall, any message must periodically be adjusted, cleaned, and even rehung entirely.  Communication can easily get tired, out-of-date, and unattractive. Our opportunity is to first notice this is the case, then to step in and reframe the message that is deliberately organized, undeniably appealing and clearly explained.

If something doesn’t matter, why do we keep talking about it? As you sit in enough meetings and conversations, you can easily conclude that people spend a lot of time mindlessly doing this. It not only wastes tons of time, but also induces professionals to feel helpless, unfocused, and fruitless at work. In this episode, […]

Recent research indicates that spending time online, especially on social media, fundamentally changes our perception of time. If asked how much time do you think you actually spend online each day, would your answer be accurate? In this episode, I challenge you to rethink the time you allocate online (versus what you get in return), […]