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Stop Telling People You’re a “Thought Leader” Because You’re Not
Is Thought Leadership Old Wine In New Bottles? There are certain words/phrases that irk me to no end — thought leader or thought...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Jun 1, 2015


100 Things You Need to Know: Best People Practices for Manager and HR
Description (from a Lominger flyer): In 100 Things, three internationally-recognized experts in human capital management provide the...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Mar 25, 2015


In Chinese: Crisis Does NOT Mean Danger and Opportunity
[NOTE: This post was updated January 2017] JFK was wrong. On pinyin.info, a website about the Chinese language, Victor H. Mair, a...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Aug 10, 2014


I Will Teach My Daughter Not to Be Afraid
“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Jul 26, 2014


Locus of Control and The Zorro Circle
In his book, The Happiness Advantage, author Shawn Achor talks about how by first limiting our focus on small, manageable goals, we can...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Feb 23, 2014


Book Review: Scaling Up Excellence
As owner of the WorkplacePsychology.Net website (it's now defunct and is part of SteveNguyenPhd.com/blog), which continues to get a high...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Feb 9, 2014


Can Apple Remain Innovative Without Their Visionary Leader?
In January 2009, Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times wrote: “No American CEO is more intimately identified with his company’s...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Sep 18, 2013


Why Leadership Is Important and Why People Want to Be Followers
[Note: This post was updated July 2022 for freshness & clarity.] I believe leadership is important because, if we examine history, no...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Sep 10, 2013


Would You Work If You Won the Lottery?
The question is simple: If you were to win the lottery (also known as the lottery question), would you continue to work? The answer might...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Aug 8, 2013


Workplace Bullying Is Not Employee Dissatisfaction and Is Different from School Bullying
This post is in response to an article titled “Thou Shalt Not Bully” that was posted on HCOnline, Australia’s online magazine for senior...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Jul 24, 2013


Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s Identity Crisis and How to Fix It
[NOTE: This post was updated February 2022 for freshness & clarity.] Recently, I’ve been struck by how stuck people and even...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Jul 3, 2013


Leadership and Management: Are They Different?
[Note: This post was updated March 2021 for freshness & clarity.] Northouse (2013) wrote that leadership and management are similar in...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Jun 19, 2013


Locus of Control: Stop Making Excuses and Start Taking Responsibility
[NOTE: This post was updated June 2020 for freshness & accuracy] In my former career as a mental health counselor, I encountered many...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Jun 5, 2013


Organizational Diversity Initiatives
[Note: This post was updated March 2021 for freshness & clarity.] Diversity initiatives usually sound great on paper and on an...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
May 26, 2013


Half-Truths and Omission of Facts in Selling
My first job was working for a sporting goods store in a mall. I was really excited because it was a well-known company and had a sister...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Mar 31, 2013


Silly Job Titles Are Not Funny
[NOTE: This post was updated February 2021 for freshness & clarity.] In a Forbes article, Goudreau (2012) wrote about silly job titles...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Nov 19, 2012


Good Liars: Their Characteristics and Why They are So Hard to Detect
[NOTE: This post was updated July 2024 to remove and replace broken URL.] Politicians and car salesmen are notorious for being dishonest....
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Sep 29, 2012


Book Review-The Orange Revolution
I’m a very picky book reader. Prior to reading “The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization,” I had...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Aug 21, 2012


Overreliance on Computer May Leave You Ill-Suited for High-Trust Jobs
[NOTE: This post was updated March 2018] Many of us have seen, heard, or read about the computer geek who is so consumed about...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Mar 21, 2012


A Positive Mindset and Happy Attitude Help You Succeed at Work
In his book, “The Happiness Advantage” (2010) Shawn Achor asserts that happy employees can actually help improve an organization’s bottom...
Steve Nguyen, PhD
Mar 8, 2012
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