Andy Molinsky is a Professor of Organizational Behavior and International Management at Brandeis University’s International Business School. Andy’s work helps people develop the insights and courage necessary to act outside their personal and cultural comfort zones when doing important, but challenging, tasks in work and life. His research and writing have been featured in Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, Psychology Today, the Financial Times, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, NPR and Voice of America.

Andy was awarded as a Top Voice for LinkedIn for his work in education. His first book, Global Dexterity received the Axiom Award for Best Business Book in International Business & Globalization and has been used widely in organizations around the world, including Boeing, AIG, the US Air Force Academy, and the Clinton Foundation, among others.

His latest book is Reach, A new Strategy to help you step outside your comfort zone, rise to the challenge and build confidence. He teaches, consults, and lectures widely to university and corporate audiences.

In this podcast:

• Why he wrote the book Reach
• Why it’s hard to step outside our comfort zone
• 5 Core Challenges – psychological roadblocks
  • Authenticity – it doesn’t feel like me
  • Likability – what if people don’t like this side of me
  • Competence – feeling like you’ll be really bad at it
  • Resentment – resenting they need to step outside their comfort zone
  • Morality – am I doing something wrong here?
• Part of his mission to normalize the experience of these roadblocks
• 15:53 Nudging yourself forward in a way that increases the odds at each point that you will approach instead of avoiding
• Doing it in a slow, steady way to achieve
• Be vulnerable and manage your expectations in the midst of it
• 3 Core Strategies to be successful stepping out of your comfort zone
  • Clarity – the capacity to have an even-handed perspective over the challenges you are facing (not over catastrophizing it) anchoring yourself with a clear perspective
• How we underestimate our resilience throughout life
• Customization tool- the idea that there is no one size fit all of anything, you have more power then you think to make it more comfortable for yourself
• The power of conviction/purpose
• Part of his purpose matrix is practicing what you preach
• Stepping out of your comfort zone is not rocket science. It’s about setting yourself up for success and taking nudges that work for you.

Inspired Round Q&A:

• Most Inspiring Book-
  • Difficult Conversations, Doug Stone & Sheila Heen
• Favorite Song-
  • Hamilton the Musical Soundtrack
• Best Resource-
  • Zoom Video Conferencing
  • Google Scholar, for scholarly papers- dive super deep into original research
• Surprising Fact About Andy –
  • He used to do Old English calligraphy and can do it free hand
• Most Important Thing to Know About Andy-
  • He puts a lot of information out there, he cares about the work he’s doing, he really cares about helping people cross-culturally, he really cares about his students. He loves being able to impact people through his books and speaking. He really cares and he hopes it comes through.

Interview Links:

Books:

• Reach: A New Strategy to Help You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Rise to the Challenge and Build Confidence
• Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior Across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process
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• Website:
  • www.andymolinsky.com
• Facebook:
  • www.facebook.com/andy.molinsky
• twitter:
  • twitter.com/andymolinsky?lang=en
• Linkedin:
  • www.linkedin.com/in/andymolinsky/

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