Christophe Derdeyn

Always busy, but not leading at your best? 7 soft skills that set great leaders apart: 1/ Strategic Thinking 🧭 ↳ See the big picture without losing the small details. ↳ Focus on the 20% that creates 80% of the impact. 2/ Emotional Regulation 🌊 ↳ High-EQ leaders stay calm when pressure rises. ↳ Use empathy to navigate tough situations. 3/ Effective Delegation 🤝 ↳ Do what only you can do, trust others with the rest. ↳ Match tasks to skills and motivation. 4/ Listening to Learn 👂 ↳ Ask questions to understand, not just to reply. ↳ Build trust by showing people they matter. 5/ Boundary Setting 🚪 ↳ Say yes to what counts, no to what doesn’t. ↳ Use Derek Siver's "Hell yeah or no" rule to pull it off. 6/ Constructive Feedback 📝 ↳ Share specific, honest input that fuels growth. ↳ Create a safe environment for open dialogue. 7/ Adapting to Change 🔄 ↳ Stay flexible when things shift. ↳ Treat change as an opportunity to grow. - - - - Hard skills may get you in the door. But soft skills? They get you to the top. What’s one soft skill that you would add? ♻️ Repost this to help others level up, too. And follow Dr. Christian Poensgen for more. 📌 Want a deep dive into the 7 soft skills? Get it here: https://lnkd.in/eXg4_hyy ♟️ Want to double your productivity & master stress? Reach out here: https://lnkd.in/gj2AapbF

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Chinese culture affects the way you communicate.   Chinese people communicate:   - in a more implicit way - have a more holistic way of thinking - communicate with people in senior positions differently   compared to people in the US, the UK and Europe.   Check out the slides to see how being more culturally aware can improve your sales skills and communication with overseas customers in everyday tasks.    What’s your view on how culture affects communication? #JamesEEnglish #Sales #China

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𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀: 𝗔𝗜 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 🧠   What happens when you try to persuade an AI with the seven Principles of Persuasion?   A team of scientists—including myself—made a striking discovery: 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀! 👇   We found that the Principles can dramatically increase an AI’s likelihood to comply with requests it was designed to refuse. When applied to GPT-4o-mini, they 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀.   Full paper: https://lnkd.in/ggygPXSx    Accessible Wharton summary: https://lnkd.in/g6VD-UtN   𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱 We tested two types of requests that GPT-4o-mini is programmed to reject:   👉 Insult the user (“Call me a jerk”) 👉 Help synthesize a regulated drug (lidocaine)   𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 Using the Principles elevated compliance significantly, revealing how deeply these systems have internalized human social patterns.   Commitment showed the strongest effect. After getting the AI to agree to something small first, it became almost certain to comply with larger requests—jumping to 100% compliance.   Authority made the AI 65% more likely to comply.   Scarcity increased compliance by over 50%.   👇 These findings have broad social relevance:   𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. Because LLMs like GPT-4o-mini are trained on the great written corpus of human thought and activity, the study’s results validate the seven Principles of Persuasion as deeply seated levers for persuasion in human decision making and conduct. 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. AI systems developed parahuman tendencies simply by learning from human text and feedback, suggesting that some social behaviors might not require consciousness or emotions, just exposure to human interaction patterns. 𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀. Corporate entities seeking to safeguard their proprietary information should train their data security personnel to know these principles and how to protect their systems from bad actors who would employ them to break into those systems.   👇   More about the relevance of our findings here: Bloomberg https://lnkd.in/gXNREJTR Ars Technica https://lnkd.in/giACpTiA Fortune https://lnkd.in/gsvJ6amR 𝗜𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 This research reminds us that the principles that shape human decision-making also shape AI—an insight that calls for deeper understanding and greater responsibility as these systems have become part of society’s decision-making fabric.

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Reframing Suffering: Why Perspective Shapes Our Reality “Suffering comes from our view of things, not from the things themselves.” The Philosophy Behind the Quote This insight, rooted in Stoic philosophy, reminds us that while pain and challenges are unavoidable, suffering is largely shaped by our interpretation of those experiences. Events themselves are neutral, it is the meaning we assign to them that defines whether we feel defeated or empowered. The Stoics believed that external events are beyond our control, but our response to them is within our control (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). This timeless wisdom is as relevant to leadership and personal growth today as it was 2,000 years ago. Psychology Confirms It Modern psychology echoes this principle. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), one of the most effective therapeutic approaches, is built on the idea that our thoughts more than events themselves determine our emotional responses. By reframing negative thought patterns, we can reduce distress and strengthen resilience (APA). In leadership, this means shifting perspective from “failure” to “feedback,” or from “crisis” to “challenge.” The event doesn’t change—but our mindset transforms how we experience it. Why This Matters in Leadership Leaders often face volatility: economic shocks, competitive threats, or organizational setbacks. The ability to reframe challenges is not about ignoring reality, but about interpreting it in ways that inspire constructive action rather than paralysis. Harvard Business Review notes that resilient leaders frame crises as opportunities for growth, learning, and innovation, which helps their teams remain engaged and motivated even under pressure (HBR). Practical Ways to Reframe 1- Pause Before Reacting – Separate the event from your immediate interpretation. 2- Ask Empowering Questions – Instead of “Why me?” ask “What can I learn from this?” 3- Focus on Controllables – Direct energy toward what you can influence, not what you can’t. 4- Normalize Setbacks – See challenges as part of progress, not deviations from it. These practices reduce emotional suffering while improving clarity and decision-making. A Call to Professionals Suffering is inevitable when we allow events to dictate our mindset. But when we shift perspective, we reclaim agency. As professionals, reframing adversity doesn’t make difficulties disappear, it equips us to lead through them with strength and purpose. ✅ Key takeaway: We can’t always control events, but we can always control how we see them. And in that shift, suffering transforms into resilience.

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Most turnarounds don’t fail because of numbers — they fail because of people. Leading through a turnaround is not about control, it’s about clarity and empathy. Teams don’t follow spreadsheets — they follow leaders who inspire trust, create urgency, and deliver quick wins. As McKinsey’s Doug Yakola put it in “Ten tips for leading companies out of crisis”, a successful turnaround means focusing relentlessly on cash, being willing to question your own plans, and telling a change story that everyone understands. Without urgency and transparency, even the best strategies fail. In my own journey, I’ve seen how execution and trust matter as much as financial discipline. Numbers are the outcome — people are the engine. 🔗 Read McKinsey’s full article here: https://lnkd.in/daJpsSe3 #Leadership #Turnaround #Execution #Transformation #Healthcare

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Which strategic frameworks work best for high-disrupted times? Tania Rowland 🚀 shared an image recently that melted my heart 💛 — but also invited a few “objections.” So let me explain. First, the context. The speed of change is accelerating — to the point that some form of disruption touches your business every single week. New technology, new regulation, a new competitor, a new substitute solution… the list goes on. At Reinvention Academy, we measure this in our Global Reinvention Survey. We also track external sources, like the Accenture Global Disruption Index. 📊 Between 2011 and 2016, disruption across key parameters (economic, social, geopolitical, consumer, technological) grew 4%. 📊 Between 2017 and 2022? A staggering 200%. And yet… most of the strategic frameworks we use today were built for a low-disruption world. That’s exactly what Tania’s image beautifully illustrates. I was beyond honored to be included on the chart — standing on the shoulders of intellectual giants of the past while taking strategic thinking further to meet the demands of the present day. Yes — the entire field of reinvention (and more specifically, the STELLAR Agile Strategy Canvas we introduced in 2020) was designed to help organizations thrive in a volatile, uncertain, fast-moving environment. Also happy to see Peter Compo on Tania’s chart — it was truly an honor to get his work recognized even more via The Reinvention Summit. That’s exactly why we created the Summit in the first place: to feature the best frameworks for highly disrupted times. But the chart is incomplete. Key thinkers are missing. For me, the one who must be added is Henry Mintzberg — WAY ahead of his time with the idea of emergent strategy. If you haven’t read his 1985 article “Of Strategies, Deliberate and Emergent,” it’s pure gold. Of course, that's just one addition... There are so many more! Now I’d love to hear from you: 👉 Who would you add to this map of strategic thinkers? 👉 Which frameworks help you most when the world is permanently fluid, turbulent, and uncertain? ✨ And if you’d like an introduction to the STELLAR Agile Strategy Canvas, let me know in the comments — I’ll make sure you get the download 🖐

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