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Forbes
23-07-2025
- General
- Forbes
Getting To The Heart Of Psychological Safety Through Character
Psychological safety emanates from interactions which reflect character I have been a fan of Amy Edmondson's pioneering work on psychological safety since we met as young scholars at an organizational learning conference decades ago. While my interests lay in the relationship between organizational learning and strategic renewal, she was tapping into a core underpinning of organizational learning: whether individuals and teams could engage in open and candid dialogue, feel safe speaking up, taking risks, and making mistakes. The benefits of psychological safety have been well-documented, as revealed by Project Aristotle, which found a correlation with a 43% increase in team performance, including a 19% increase in productivity, 31% more innovation, 27% lower employee turnover, and 3.6 times more engagement. Although the benefits of psychological safety are well-documented, the factors that contribute to it have been more elusive. Forbes Council Member Jeff Williams provides six practical steps to creating a psychologically safe environment, which echo many common prescriptions, including diagnosing where you stand, reviewing your policies and protocols, modeling psychologically safe behaviors, creating an organization-wide safety culture, discussing it, and holding check-ins. Although these are practical insights, there is a need to get to the heart of psychological safety, to explore why it has been so challenging for many organizations. Research at the Ivey Business School has revealed that the difference between weak and strong leader character is correlated with a 16% increase in psychological safety and an 18% increase in employee voice. Leader character may well be the bedrock for psychological safety. There are three key steps to unlock the potential character brings to enable psychological safety. Step 1 – Understand How Character Impacts Psychological Safety What has been overlooked in psychological safety is how character influences it. Because people have not understood what character is and how it can manifest in deficient and excess states, we have neglected a key aspect of both the diagnosis and the remedy. The 11 dimensions of character can manifest in deficient and excess states as shown in Table 1. Since people tend to judge their behaviors based on intention, while others judge them on their observable behaviors, they often fail to recognize that their character strengths are manifesting as excess vices, as shown in the right-hand column. Tasha Eurich's findings highlight the challenges associated with self-awareness, revealing that 95% of people believe they are self-aware, yet only 10-15% are. Table 1 - Virtues and Vices In our character workshops, we ask participants to describe leaders who exhibit strong integrity and drive but low humility and humanity. Words like bully, arrogant, tyrant, and jerk often top the list. By examining the excess vice states of drive and integrity in Table 1, you can see why. When someone has high drive and integrity that are not balanced by other character dimensions, these strengths can become dictatorial, forceful, uncompromising, belligerent, rigid, and dogmatic, among others. Because people often lack self-awareness and don't intend to behave in this way, such behavior becomes a significant blind spot for them. Let's connect the dots to psychological safety. When we ask people to describe what it feels like to work for or with someone who has these character imbalances, the responses are consistent, and, unfortunately, many have experienced it. Weaknesses such as humility and humanity, as shown in the left column of Table 1, offer clues. These deficient traits of humanity and humility are reflected in words like uncaring, vindictive, aloof, disinterested, and disrespectful. Combined with the excess vices of high drive and integrity, the person becomes challenging to work with and for. Returning to the core aspects of psychological safety, there is little chance of having open and honest dialogue, feeling safe to speak up, take risks, and make mistakes. In fact, research at the Ivey Business School shows an 18% gap between individuals with weak and strong character in terms of employee voice, indicating that people are less likely to engage when character is weak. Although Table 1 presents the character dimensions in list form, the behaviors in the middle column should be visualized as a wheel with the judgment dimension at the center. This is because judgment, what Aristotle called 'practical wisdom,' has its own set of behaviors and also plays a special role in regulating all character behaviors. We call this character-based judgment. There is no doubt that the words in the left and right-hand columns are strong. They are meant to leave no doubt that the deficient and excess states are problematic and undesirable. Because people often struggle to see themselves as anything other than their good intentions portrayed in the middle column, we ask them to imagine whether their typical lean is to the left or the right. For example, I am a very purposeful person (behavior associated with transcendence). It would be rare for me to be directionless, so my miss is not on the left side. It suggests my miss is to the right - being fixated. Although I would never describe myself as being fixated, my character development has helped me see that if others do not observe strengths in other dimensions, such as collaboration (being open-minded and flexible) and temperance (being patient and calm), they will view my purposive behavior in a more fixated way. Importantly, for me to have confidence in my character-based judgment, I need to ensure that I am strengthening my weaker character behaviors. This leads to the need for character development. Character imbalances not only influence individual and collective judgment but also impact individual well-being, often in distinct ways. For example, someone with high drive and low temperance may experience burnout arising from a relentless pursuit of perfection. In contrast, someone with high collaboration and low integrity may find that they continue to prioritize the needs of others over their own. Overall, there is reason to develop character beyond enhancing psychological safety. Research at the Ivey Business School reveals that the difference between weak and strong character is associated with an 8% difference in well-being, a 10% difference in resilience and job satisfaction, and a 14% difference in leader effectiveness. Step 2 – Develop Character To Increase Psychological Safety Unlike personality, which is considered semi-stable with no associated development paradigm, character behaviors are habits that can be developed but can also erode. Without a clear understanding of what character is and how it manifests in deficient and excessive states, it is understandable that most people will have weaknesses and imbalances. When it comes to psychological safety, it is not simply a matter of assessing whether an environment is psychologically safe, but diagnosing imbalances in individual character that contribute to it. In 'Towards a Model of Leader Character Development: Insights From Anatomy and Music Therapy,' co-authored with Corey Crossan and Cassie Ellis, we describe five levels of leader character development, with Level 1 being the ability to discover and assess one's character and that of others. Assessments such as the self and 360-degree Leader Character Insight Assessment and the VIA Character Strengths Survey are helpful tools. In Level 2, we describe how character can be activated through priming, reminding, and reinforcement, using music as an example. We have created a Spotify playlist featuring songs for each of the 11 dimensions, as suggested by workshop participants. There are other practical reminders, such as images and poems, and many creative ways people have found, including how Corey Crossan paints her nails in the corresponding colour of the character dimension in Table 1 that she is exercising. The value of understanding how to activate a dimension of character is to consider what it may take at any moment to speak up when it doesn't feel psychologically safe. For example, a leader may need to activate their humanity, humility, and collaboration to encourage others that it is safe to speak up. I learned this lesson when a colleague told me I was intimidating, after a meeting in which I had not even spoken. Because I saw myself as collegial and cooperative, it turns out that I lacked the self-awareness to realize that someone might view me as intimidating. Having witnessed the nodding heads of many executives when I share this story, it revealed to me how, with some awareness and capacity to activate character, we can shift these moments. I realized I not only need to activate collaboration, humanity, and humility, but I also need to strengthen them. The most challenging work arises in Level 3, where daily practice is required to strengthen a behavior. With 11 character dimensions and 62 associated behaviors, a daily practice is incredibly challenging. I realized my daily yoga practice was an essential way for me to exercise becoming more patient and calm (behaviors associated with the temperance dimension). Strengthening my temperance has been another dimension that helps to ensure my other strengths in transcendence, drive, courage, and judgment do not manifest as excess vices and undermine psychological safety. For example, my passionate behavior (transcendence) and decisiveness (judgment), when not supported by strong temperance, can silence others. Where I see my decisiveness as the beginning of the conversation, others can experience it as the end of the conversation. One of the reasons Corey Crossan and I created the Virtuosity character development mobile app was to curate a set of daily exercises for the 62 behaviors that comprise the Virtuosity character development system. Level 4 is a natural extension of Level 3 because it considers how the development of a behavior depends on and influences the character behaviors of others. In my own experience, once I discovered how my patience and calm depended on strengthening other dimensions of character, such as humanity, humility, collaboration, and transcendence, I began to put less pressure on my temperance. Essentially, I became less agitated and frustrated with others and began to see different possibilities. One of the reasons that people question character is that most of us don't imagine that character development needs to hold up under every context, which is Level 5. Our strength of character needs to be reliable in both crisis and calm, personally and professionally. There is plenty of research in sociology pointing to how context shapes action, such as the famous Stanford Prison Experiment, where students who had been randomly assigned to roles as guards began to abuse those in the role of prisoners within only five days. However, context need not be that dramatic to influence character. Consider how many people blame compensation and reward systems in organizations for their behavior. In character workshops, the proverbial light bulb goes on when they consider what that reveals about character. Connecting the development of character to psychological safety, it is not simply that individuals can strengthen their character to reap the benefits associated with the quality of conversation that enables candid dialogue and risk-taking, but character development also demands that individuals begin to transform the context within which they operate, which may undermine psychological safety. Step 3 - Rely on Character to Cultivate a Psychologically Safe Context In 'Making Leader Character Your Competitive Edge,' published in MIT Sloan, Bill Furlong, Rob Austin, and I describe that character is embedded in the architecture of the organization. This means that creating the conditions for psychological safety isn't just about interactions between people, but also the context that either enables or hinders it. Reflecting on Level 5 of character development, context can often undermine character. However, too often, the blame for the lack of psychological safety is placed on the context, such as what gets rewarded or punished in organizations. For example, reward systems often overweight drive and underweight temperance, with a focus on results at any cost. And because people are often selected and promoted based on this likeness, a vicious cycle emerges where the context undermines character and character undermines context – people cut corners. Few will speak up to question decisions. It is not simply about whether there is psychological safety to do so, but whether they possess the strength in integrity, justice, and accountability to speak up. The anatomy of failure in every organization, whether it be Enron, Wells Fargo, Volkswagen, or Boeing, is a system that embodies imbalances of character as I described in my Forbes article 'Lessons From Boeing on Elevating Character Alongside Competence.' When individuals and systems exhibit character imbalances, the organizational culture often reflects those imbalances. In my Forbes article, 'Seeing How Character Eats Culture For Breakfast,' I make the point that culture will reflect the character of its members. Furthermore, leaders with strong character will ensure that the organization's systems and processes reflect strong character. Psychological safety is vital, but it can be challenging to achieve. Many troublesome issues that weaken psychological safety stem from character imbalances. The good news is that the solution is straightforward. Character is the key missing element. Since character can be assessed, developed, and embedded in organizations, it can be measured and managed. Addressing psychological safety truly depends on character development, particularly in leaders who set the tone and shape the organizational culture.
Forbes
07-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
20 Outdated Sales Practices To Retire And What To Do Instead
In today's fast-moving business landscape, sticking to old sales tactics can hold companies back from meaningful growth. Outdated practices like generic cold outreach and activity-based success metrics often fail to resonate with modern buyers. To stay competitive, businesses must embrace personalization, data-driven insights and authentic relationship building. Below, 20 members of Forbes Business Development Council share outdated business development practices they still see too often and what leading companies should be doing instead. 1. Relying Too Heavily On Sales Tools An outdated practice is companies buying tool after tool in the hope that it's going to solve their problems. Tech used properly can be an enabler, but it's not a solution in itself. Tools allow us to hide behind understanding the real problem. Companies need to be brave and strip back. They must get crystal clear on the biggest company problems and align all their efforts on solving them. This is unlikely to be solved by a messy patchwork of shiny technology. - Alice Wyatt, Codat 2. Measuring Success By Volume, Not Value Many companies still measure sales success by activity volume: calls made and meetings booked. In an AI-driven world, however, that's outdated. The shift should be toward value-based engagement—using AI to understand customer context, anticipate needs and drive meaningful outcomes. Today, success is not about how many transactions you drive, but how many transformations you enable. - Jigar Kothari, Aisera 3. Using One-Size-Fits-All Discounts Relying on one-size-fits-all discounts is outdated. Instead, companies should adopt targeted offers—personalized incentives based on user intent and behavior. This increases conversion and ROI while protecting margins. We've seen a 2 to 3x lift with this approach versus blanket promotions. - Shikha Agarwal, Yelp 4. Cold Outreach Without Personalization The outdated sales practice of generic cold outreach, such as cold calling without context or sending mass, unpersonalized emails, alienates prospects and delivers poor returns. Instead, businesses should adopt a modern approach to building genuine relationships and trust. - Hashim Syed, Google 5. Overcomplicating Commission Structures One outdated practice is using complicated commission structures. When sales reps can't easily see how their actions lead to results, motivation drops. Clear, straightforward compensation tied to real outcomes builds trust and keeps teams focused on what actually drives growth. - Scott Hozebin, StrideMD Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify? 6. Treating Sales As Purely Transactional Treating relationships like transactions is an outdated practice. Too many still chase deals before trust is built. Buyers today expect partners, not vendors. The shift is toward relationship compounding—showing up with insights and value before there's an opportunity. Deals come faster when you stop acting like every conversation needs to lead to one. The winning companies are playing the long game. - Nathan Rice, Energy CX 7. Letting Gut Instinct Override Data Too many leaders still let gut instinct drive big decisions, sidelining what the data is saying. Even worse, they consider top performers to be fragile instead of capable. Protecting them from stretch opportunities in the name of caution often stunts growth and sends talent out the door. - Umang Modi, TIAG, Inc. 8. Wasting Time In Ineffective Meetings Relying on endless internal meetings to drive progress needs to be addressed. The truth is, unnecessary meetings kill momentum. Instead, you should use KPIs, behavioral nudges and light gamification to keep teams focused and fired up. You should replace the weekly talkfest with quick, purpose-built check-ins that actually move the needle. - Angelica Kopec, She Knows Business 9. Chasing Movement Over Meaningful Impact I still see companies and MKT teams pushing volume just to show movement, without asking if it makes a real impact and without telling a compelling history. In PE-backed or growth-stage companies, you can't lose sight of the bottom of the P&L. In complex markets, real growth comes through strong partners. You should work with finance, track results and stay focused. Do not throw in the towel. - Oscar Chavez-Arrieta, SonicWall 10. Failing To Modernize Event Strategies In-person events haven't been the same since the pandemic, so I encourage leaders to take a closer look at their events strategy for business development in 2025 and beyond. Today's industry events and trade shows need to positively impact customer growth, deliver a premium brand experience, prove ROI and more. - Hayden Stafford, Seismic 11. Following The 'Customer Is Always Right' Mentality Companies need to change their 'customer is always right' mentality. They are increasingly tired of buying what they think is right. What they actually need is guidance on what will truly benefit their business. Highlighting pain points and problem areas—even making the customer uncomfortable—can be an effective strategy. When they're clear on the risks of inaction, they'll be more likely to act and invest in the right solution. - Dima Raketa, Reputation House 12. Treating All Leads The Same Way One practice that still lingers is treating every lead the same, regardless of buying stage, role or intent. Companies should invest in real-time intent data, persona-driven playbooks and dynamic enablement tools. You should be tailoring your motion to how the buyer wants to buy rather than how your team wants to sell. This isn't just modern sales, it's the new baseline. - Aaron Biggs, Summit 13. Separating Sales And Marketing Functions Treating sales and marketing as separate entities leads to inefficiencies and inconsistencies, with handoffs that often lack proper context or nurturing. Instead, you should embrace revenue operations (RevOps). You can unify sales, marketing and customer success under one strategy. This streamlines processes, optimizes tech and ensures a cohesive customer journey, boosting shared KPIs and fostering collaboration. - William DeCourcy, AmeriLife 14. Leading With Product Features Instead Of Listening Many sales teams still start by promoting their product's features and functionality. However, this will not lead to sales success. Business development professionals must listen and thoroughly understand the challenges their prospects face, both professionally and personally. This approach helps foster understanding, gain consensus and create solutions that address business problems. - Julie Thomas, ValueSelling Associates 15. Scaling Too Early Without Deep Learning Many teams rush to scale too early. The best insights often come when you do things that don't scale—like talking to customers one-on-one or writing custom proposals. These small efforts build real trust and clarity. You must learn deeply first, then scale what actually works. - Vipin Thomas, SparrowGenie 16. Neglecting Partner-Driven Growth Strategies Relying solely on a direct route-to-market strategy is outdated. A modern GTM approach blends direct sales with a strong ecosystem of partners and strategic alliances. When grounded in partner experience and backed by enablement, partners can scale growth and act as a true extension of your brand. - Susana Cabrera, Parsec Automation 17. Holding On To Legacy Funnel Reviews It's hard to pinpoint one area, as there are tons of improvement opportunities in organizations still holding onto a legacy practice. One major one would be a weekly-bi-weekly-monthly team funnel review or reporting where the whole group is tied for a good few hours, going rep by rep. With the tools at our disposal, this approach simply does not work anymore, even if your objective is team building. - Mustansir Paliwala, Zomara Group 18. Pushing Quotas Over Customer Fit One outdated practice is a quota-driven, product-pitching mindset, whether or not it fits the customer's needs. Effective salespeople create value by solving real customer problems. This requires listening, understanding priorities and delivering tailored solutions. It is also essential to be disciplined and walk away when there isn't a strong fit, preserving trust and focus. - Jani Hirvonen, Google 19. Using Generic Demos Across All Industries Using the same presentation or demo materials across industries or using a generic industry use case (for example, transaction management in banking) is ineffective. You must do the homework, tailor the use case and be nimble enough to demo that use case that resonates with the customer's pain points. If that resonates in the moment, you've won yourself a buyer (and of course, the arduous onboarding). - Aman Rangrass, 20. Ignoring The Power Of Social Selling Many sales teams don't emphasize the importance of social selling to warm up leads, thus keeping conversion rates of "cold" calls much lower. This stems from not thinking through persona personalization at scale. - Darryn Lee, Cedar
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
17 Experts Explore How HR Shapes Culture In Hybrid & Remote Workplaces
Human resources teams are playing a more strategic role as the workplace evolves, especially in shaping culture across hybrid and remote environments. With fewer organic, in-person interactions and more reliance on digital systems, HR professionals are at the forefront of keeping employees engaged and connected, no matter where they work. Below, 17 members of Forbes Human Resources Council share how HR can serve as both cultural architect and community builder in today's distributed work models. Their insights offer a roadmap for creating thriving, values-driven organizations across any work setting. 1. Support In-Person Connection For Cultural Alignment The role of HR is like an associate to the main chef (the CEO) in keeping the culture intact. In a hybrid or remote environment, it is important to have a regular, mandated in-person meeting in the office with senior folks of the organization so that bonding and culture orientation happen through interactions with other senior colleagues. - Prakash Raichur, Taghleef Industries 2. Foster Employee Connection To Mission And Peers HR leaders and managers have a responsibility to create conditions for employees to do the best work of their lives, regardless of where that work takes place. Research shows that connection is one of those key conditions. In times of uncertainty, when employees are connected to the mission of their company, their manager and their peers, they feel they can survive and thrive through it all. - David Bator, Achievers 3. Empower Leaders To Model And Enhance Culture HR, as an enabler and strategic partner, can help foster the culture. HR is not the business nor the organization; the culture sits with the business and the hiring managers. HR helps foster and enhance the desired culture. - Jake Zabkowicz, Hudson RPO 4. Align Daily Actions With Culture And Strategy The mission remains: deploy top talent, drive impact and fuel relentless execution to deliver results. Culture isn't accidental—it's built by leadership decisions, policy commitments and daily actions. Every piece must align with the competitive landscape we operate in. - Prithvi Singh Shergill, Tomorrow @entomo 5. Upskill Managers To Deliver Consistent Experiences HR shapes culture in every work model—remote, hybrid or in-office. In remote and hybrid settings, people managers become the 'face' of the organization, yet many aren't trained or supported to lead effectively. HR must upskill and empower them to ensure a strong, consistent employee experience. - Fran Maxwell, Protiviti Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify? 6. Track Cultural Gaps And Guide Leadership Behavior Culture is both intentionally created and allowed unintentionally, existing in actions and shared purpose beyond words. It extends into digital spaces, expressing values through daily actions. HR doesn't own culture; we are its guardians. We track gaps between aspirations and reality. We empower leaders to be effective culture modelers. - Teedra Bernard, New Wave Human Capital 7. Create Intentional Moments For Human Connection From onboarding to exit, HR is critical in shaping the employee experience. In many ways, the shift online during Covid advanced how we work. Still, human connection remains essential. By creating intentional moments and spaces for connection, collaboration, co-creation and celebration, HR cultivates company culture. These four Cs bring culture to life, especially in hybrid or remote environments. - Soni Basi, Pop HR 8. Design Culture With Empathy, Purpose And Clarity HR plays a pivotal role in shaping culture, especially in hybrid or remote settings. We must be intentional about listening to employee voices and designing a culture people want to be part of. When we lead with empathy, clarity and purpose, we don't just manage a workforce; we build a community people are proud to show up for. - Nicole Cable, Blue Zones Health 9. Keep Employees Connected Through Systems And Rituals HR serves as both architect and curator of culture in hybrid and remote work environments by deliberately designing systems, communications, experiences and strategies to keep employees connected to shared purpose and values. From onboarding to recognition programs, HR ensures its presence can always be felt no matter where employees work. - Sherri Reese, Michigan State University 10. Lead Culture With Strategic Vision And Communication It is the role of human resources, particularly at the C-suite level, to actively shape, develop and communicate the organizational culture in alignment with the company's mission, values and vision. This responsibility goes beyond administrative functions—it requires strategic leadership to ensure that the culture is intentionally crafted and consistently reinforced throughout the organization. - Nakisha Dixon, Helios HR LLC 11. Drive Engagement And Well-Being Across Locations HR is the glue that holds culture together in a hybrid or remote setting. They drive engagement, communication and well-being initiatives, while ensuring values are reinforced across teams. HR also champions flexibility, inclusivity and innovation, creating a workplace where people thrive, no matter the location. - William Stonehouse, Crawford Thomas Recruiting 12. Champion Recognition And A People-First Mindset HR plays a critical role in shaping a culture rooted in recognition and connection. By leveraging technology and embracing flexibility, HR creates spaces where employees feel seen, heard and valued, no matter where they work. They champion a people-first mindset that supports well-being, drives engagement and keeps teams motivated and aligned with the company's mission. - Smiti Bhatt Deorah, 13. Codify And Reinforce Culture Through Leadership HR is critical as the cultural architect in distributed models. Culture doesn't get passed organically in hallways—it must be intentionally designed and consistently reinforced. This includes codifying culture into systems, fostering connection and inclusion, enabling leaders to lead differently and listen at scale. - Britton Bloch, Navy Federal 14. Design Inclusive Rituals And Experiences At Scale HR becomes the culture custodian in hybrid and remote environments. From asking the right questions to taking relevant steps, HR is the central driving force. We design intentional rituals, foster connection beyond screens and ensure equity in experience—whether onsite or remote. From virtual onboarding to manager enablement, we lead with empathy and data to keep culture alive and inclusive. - Ankita Singh, Relevance Lab 15. Embed Values Into Systems To Prevent Cultural Drift In hybrid environments, culture doesn't drift—it defaults. HR's role is to interrupt that default by embedding clarity, trust and connection into daily operations. We don't rely on charisma; we design systems that make values visible, even virtually. In distributed teams, culture isn't what we say; it's what our infrastructure allows. HR builds that foundation. - Apryl Evans, USA for UNHCR 16. Bridge Communication Between Teams And Leadership In hybrid and remote settings, HR serves as the intermediary between the workforce and leadership. They're the stewards of the organization's culture, able to communicate effectively between teams, ensuring everyone remains informed and aligned at all times. This is critical to moving the organization forward and keeping employees engaged. - Caitlin MacGregor, Plum 17. Use Emotional Intelligence To Build Trust Remotely In hybrid or remote setups, HR is the cultural compass—fostering trust through intentional communication, strengths-based development and emotional intelligence. When people feel seen, heard and valued, distance fades. Understanding what energizes or frustrates them, and how to truly connect, empowers everyone to give their best—anywhere. - Jaka Lindic, e2grow
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
13 Ways HR Leaders Are Using Tech To Make Human-Centered Decisions
At a time when human resources teams are flooded with data and new tools, adding technology to your tech stack is easy. The real challenge is applying it with empathy and using it not just to automate tasks, but to enhance the human experience. Smart HR leaders are using modern tech to help them uncover hidden patterns, gather and analyze feedback at scale and personalize decisions that affect people's lives and careers. To that end, 13 members of Forbes Human Resources Council share how they're blending tech with the human touch to make smarter, more people-first decisions in their organizations. 1. Provide Support To Improve The Human Experience We're always focused on supporting our leaders and care providers to improve their experience. Beyond traditional technologies such as performance management, engagement surveys and learning, we are implementing AI for things including people data and insights to enable real-time decisions. Data and insights are essential to the business, and technology at scale is key. - Nakesha Lopez, Advocate Health 2. Understand How Colleagues Interact With Content Technology that provides feedback on how colleagues interact with content provides great insight as to what content resonates within an organization. By understanding open rates, click rates and time spent on content, we can learn what messaging is meaningful to our colleagues as we lead. - Dave Barnett, DeVry University 3. Make Better Leave And Accommodations Decisions HR teams leverage leave management platforms to make better leave and accommodations decisions while the tech does the heavy lifting. By automating calculations, tracking and forms, technology gives HR the time and clarity to focus on what humans do best: make nuanced decisions, provide compliance reviews and real support when employees need it most. - Seth Turner, AbsenceSoft 4. Detect Sentiment Patterns We're using advanced analytics, sentiment analysis tools and employee listening platforms. Rather than relying solely on numerical data, we've incorporated AI-driven analytics to detect subtle patterns in employee sentiment, engagement and feedback to identify emerging trends, pinpoint potential issues and make informed decisions grounded in empathy, psychological safety and employee well-being. - Britton Bloch, Navy Federal 5. Identify Innate Skills We use technology backed by scientific insights to better understand people's innate skills and abilities to help inform decision-making. That approach makes it possible to see people for who they really are, with the aid of solutions built to accelerate processes like hiring. - Caitlin MacGregor, Plum Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify? 6. Bring Strengths Profiles Into Digital Workflows We combine technology with personalized insight to bring a human lens to decision-making. By integrating strengths profiles into digital workflows, we help leaders look beyond metrics to understand what truly drives each person. This leads to better decisions about team building, development and engagement, aligning business outcomes with individual potential. - Jaka Lindic, e2grow 7. Translate Invisible Labor And Equity Gaps Into Better Policy We use technology to surface what performance reviews often miss: invisible labor, capacity strain and equity gaps. But data alone isn't wisdom. We translate patterns into policies that restore balance and fuel trust. When tech is led by strategy—not novelty—it becomes a mirror, not a mask. That's how we make better decisions without losing sight of people. - Apryl Evans, USA for UNHCR 8. Validate Ideas With AI-Sourced Research Using AI as a quasi-AI prompt engineer allows you to obtain backup material quickly and efficiently as a supplement to your thought leadership, rather than leaning on AI to think for you. In addition, AI is a tool to provide peer-reviewed studies on an idea you may have. This leads to validation of your thesis through external third parties while providing differentiation from your peers. - John Pierce, John Pierce Consulting 9. Run Pay Equity Analysis With A Human-Centered Lens Using pay equity software to run organization-wide pay gap analyses helps us to identify focus groups and recommend objective criteria-based adjustments. Technology lightens our analysis load, allowing us to focus on addressing suspected individual pay issues with transparent communication and refining our pay strategy through a fair, human-centered lens. - Hayley Bakker, beqom 10. Build AI Agents From Real User Feedback We build AI agents that help us figure out our clients' pain points for both hiring managers and candidates. We even check what might annoy them when they use our platform. The personas we use in our AI agents are based on real feedback, not guesswork: We interview restaurant owners, hiring managers and job seekers to create detailed profiles and track preferences in topics, tone and more. - Milos Eric, OysterLink 11. Look At Your Data Holistically To Tell A Story We leverage tech like total rewards software, engagement survey software and analytics tools that marry the data together to tell a story. This allows our HR staff to surface real-time data, then layer in more meaningful context from employee feedback and manager insights. It's about using tools to inform, not replace, human judgment so decisions are data-backed and people-first. - Stephanie Manzelli, Employ Inc. 12. Personalize Employee Development At my digital banking company, we use AI to analyze survey sentiment and better understand employee experiences at scale. This allows us to focus more on strategy, combining data and human insights to guide our decisions. Technology also helps personalize development, supporting individual growth in today's transitional work environment. - Julie Hoagland, Alkami 13. Amplify Human Judgment So People Can Focus On What Matters I use AI not to replace human judgment, but to amplify it. It cuts through the noise, surfaces what matters and lets HR and managers focus on the moments that drive real impact for both our people and the business. - Jamie Aitken, Betterworks
Forbes
20-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
20 Ways Business Leaders Find (And Vet) Their Next Big Development
getty The spark behind a great business initiative can come from anywhere—a customer complaint, an emerging trend or an untapped niche. But inspiration alone isn't enough to move an idea forward. Deciding whether to invest time, money and resources requires asking the right questions about market need. Below, 20 members of Forbes Business Development Council share where they find inspiration for new business ideas—and how they decide whether it's worth turning that spark into action. 1. The 'Common Denominator' Behind Weaknesses Innovative leaders are driven to create more efficient solutions. In grade school, we were taught to find the lowest common denominator in math class. In business, leaders break down and identify root causes, potential gaps and inefficiencies that they deem weaknesses. A true leader will find a common denominator and be inspired to develop strategies to convert those weaknesses into strengths. - Jason Holden , Akkerman 2. The Desire To Solve A 'Big Problem' In The Market My entrepreneurial experience: The inspiration to create new comes from an insatiable urge to solve a big problem. There are five types of big problems (5 Cs): Customer, constraints, convenience-related, commonality-focused and community-centric. The only factor that helps to decide its worthiness to solve is its "order of magnitude impact on the beneficiary" once solved. - Bharath Yadla , Workato 3. Everyday Issues I find inspiration in everyday problems— especially when a customer says, 'I just wish there was an easier way to do this.' That's the spark. One key factor in moving forward? Real interest. If people are excited, willing to use it or even pay for it early on, that's a good sign it's worth building. - Richard Lindhorn , VivoAquatics Inc. 4. Gaps Across Industries We get inspired by spotting gaps in how people make payments in different industries. My go-to test? When businesses face the same payment headache repeatedly and we can fix it once and scale it everywhere. If our solution helps multiple partners, reaches lots of customers and doesn't require reinventing the wheel every time, that's when I know we've got something worth pursuing. - Mohamed Madkour , Mastercard 5. Combined Concepts From Different Industry Sectors I find my inspiration everywhere. It usually starts with asking "why" and "why not," blending ideas from very different industry sectors and working with concepts together like LEGO blocks. Things eventually click into place when the questions have been addressed and solutions worked out. When the risk of moving ahead is small and the risk of not moving ahead is large, then it's worth the move. - Anoma Baste , Space Matrix Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify? 6. Lessons From Top Performers And Other Teams Pain points in business processes or customer experience can be common sources of innovation, but valuable insights also come from learning from other teams or benchmarking top performers. A data-driven, ROI-focused approach helps leaders make informed decisions. Great leaders constantly assess key drivers—not because something is wrong, but because they believe things can always be improved. - Jani Hirvonen , Google 7. 'Rule-Of-Three' Pain Points Customer pain points and unmet needs are the best inspiration for new developments—hear the same pain point from multiple people across organizations, and the need is real and acute. We call it the "rule of three": If three customers have the same need or ask, then it's real! - Aman Rangrass , 8. Crowdsourced Organizational Feedback Consider crowdsourcing ideas from your organization to collect a diverse array of input. Platforms like Featurebase are useful for figuring out which developments to pursue. Key stakeholders can vote on existing feature requests to determine their order of importance, and keep all your ideas organized in one place. - Raviraj Hegde , Donorbox 9. Real Customer Problems Inspiration often starts with a real customer problem—something costing time, money or momentum. The key filter: Does solving it align with our strengths and strategic direction? If it does, scope the opportunity, build fast and validate early. Speed matters, but alignment wins. - Michael Fritsch , SavvyCOO 10. Areas Of Friction I find inspiration by observing friction, especially recurring pain points that slow down execution. I would question myself, "What if this didn't have to be hard?" A key filter is value delta, for example, will this create at least a 4x improvement over the current approach? If it doesn't shift outcomes meaningfully, it's not worth building. - Vipin Thomas , SparrowGenie 11. Solutions That Make Life Easier All developments—whether business or product—are driven by two core factors: will this make our customers' lives easier, and will it push us to keep our solutions on the cutting edge? Only by understanding customers' needs and pain points can we provide the most timely and reliable solutions. Anything less is merely spinning our wheels, no matter how technically impressive the offering. - Susana Cabrera , Parsec Automation 12. High-Potential, Untapped Markets I'm inspired by what others ignore—those quiet gaps where attention is scarce but potential is high, like a niche market with growing demand but little innovation. A key sign to move forward is whether your team can lead the conversation and steer the momentum. If you can, it's likely a risk worth taking. - Bryce Welker , The CPA Exam Guy 13. Insights From Genuine Listening I listen, listen, listen to people's stories and real-world challenges, which inspire new efforts. For example, we started with one shoe reuse brand but saw needs and opportunities in other areas, such as supporting sustainability by listening. So, we created several other brands that target their specific audiences' needs and pain points, which motivated our team to move forward with expansions. - Wayne Elsey , The Funds2Orgs Group 14. Cross-Industry Innovations I find inspiration in customer pain points and cross-industry innovation. The key decision factor is genuine user enthusiasm in early testing—if users can't articulate how the solution improves their lives without prompting, reconsider moving forward. - Vivek Vishal , Honeywell 15. Creation Under Constraints I often find inspiration in constraints, not ideas. Scarcity, regulation and friction reveal inefficiencies others tolerate. One key factor? If solving it strengthens our position and forces competitors to respond, it's worth pursuing. Real development shifts leverage, not just resources. - Alexander Masters, MBA, BIDA , Siemens 16. The Intersection Of Emerging Trends And Unmet Needs I find inspiration at the intersection of unmet needs and emerging trends—where market gaps meet what's next. One key factor in deciding to move forward: strategic fit. If the idea aligns with long-term goals and solves a real problem, it's worth exploring. - Rahul Saluja , Cognizant 17. The Need To Stay Relevant Amidst Change Competitors (both direct and indirect), landscape and customers all change with time, so for you to stay relevant with these changes, innovation in all aspects of your organization is a must. This in itself is a grander reason for you and your teams to find inspiration. If the vision is not to be the best in class for your customers, then there are bigger problems for you to fix than just inspiration. - Mustansir Paliwala , Zomara Group 18. Current Gaps Aligned With Long-Term Vision I draw inspiration from identifying strategic gaps that align with our long-term vision, where market dynamics are evolving, customer needs are unmet or internal capabilities can be leveraged to create new value. I assess each initiative based on its strategic alignment, like whether it differentiates in the market and supports sustainable growth. If yes, it warrants serious consideration. - Salice Thomas , Wipro Limited 19. Ideas From Other Sectors Finding inspiration is always difficult, especially because, in my opinion, the most common mistake is falling in love with your own ideas, idealizing them. In my sector (industrial), it is complex. However, trade fairs are an excellent point of reference: the sectors not close to ours offer applicable ideas and improvements. In many cases, innovation comes from the contamination. - Davide Sartini , SpA 20. What Emerges When You Step Back Inspiration often comes when we stop forcing ideas. Step back, question assumptions and drop ego. The best ideas emerge when you stay open-minded, critical and self-aware. Here's a good litmus test: If the idea still stands after tough, honest evaluation—without forcing a narrative—it may be worth building on. True innovation needs space to breathe. - Anna Jankowska , RTB House
