Most people think leading and learning should be easy, but psychology proves that it requires both cognitive and emotional effort. In this episode, Dr. Mira Brancu and Dr. Jeffrey Greene use a spicy sauce challenge to reveal why you must embrace "desirable difficulties" to truly lead and grow.

Are you suffering from an "infodemic"? In a world of infinite information, the most important skill you can develop is "critical ignoring"—the ability to filter out the noise and focus on what actually moves the needle for your career. Dr. Jeffrey Greene, a professor of educational psychology, breaks down the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and explains how to stay in the growth zone without hitting a breaking point. Meanwhile, Dr. Mira Brancu discusses the high-stakes world of leadership emotion regulation, proving that how you handle "the heat" in the boardroom determines your team’s psychological safety.

Ready to build your hard skills muscle? Subscribe for more deep dives into the psychology of elite performance!

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Layoffs and restructuring leave deep invisible scars on a team. If you try to "business as usual" your way through it, you will lose your best people. Here is the exact framework to heal the damage.

In this final episode of the Ambiguous Grief series, Dr. Mira Brancu reveals why standard corporate responses to loss actually increase toxicity. When leaders minimize change or force false optimism, grief "spills over" into poor performance and resentment.

Dr. Brancu introduces "Grief-Informed Leadership," a 4-step framework designed to restore psychological safety. You will learn the "Name It to Tame It" technique, how to become an "Emotional Container," and why seeking closure is a trap. She also provides a word-for-word script on how to address your team after a layoff to rebuild trust and dignity immediately.

Subscribe for more hard skills on leading through crisis.

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, CAN I ASK A FAVOR?

We do not receive any funding or sponsorship for this podcast. If you learned something and feel others could also benefit, please leave a positive review. Every review helps amplify our work and visibility. This is especially helpful for small women-owned boot-strapped businesses. Simply go to the bottom of the Apple Podcast page to enter a review. Thank you!

Subscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribe

Work with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancu

Learn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.com

Get practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/books

Add this podcast to your feed: www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/

Is your team cynical, disengaged, or "quiet quitting" despite your best efforts to stay positive? You might be accidentally overlooking "Ambiguous Grief"—and your leadership style could be making it worse.

In Part 2 of this special series on The Hard Skills, Dr. Mira Brancu reveals breaks down the three specific "villains" of leadership during crisis: The Minimizer ("It's just business"), The False Optimist ("Everything is great!"), and The Conflict Avoider (The ghosting boss). Learn how to identify which one you are and how to shift from "forcing progress" to "facilitating resilience." Stop hidden grief from eating your company's productivity from the inside out.

Stop the churn. Subscribe for Part 3 to get the Grief-Informed Leadership Framework:

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, CAN I ASK A FAVOR?

We do not receive any funding or sponsorship for this podcast. If you learned something and feel others could also benefit, please leave a positive review. Every review helps amplify our work and visibility. This is especially helpful for small women-owned boot-strapped businesses. Simply go to the bottom of the Apple Podcast page to enter a review. Thank you!

Subscribe to my free newsletter at: mailchi.mp/2079c04f4d44/subscribe

Work with me one-on-one: calendly.com/mira-brancu/30-minute-initial-consultation

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/MiraBrancu

Learn more about my services: www.gotowerscope.com

Get practical workplace politics tips from my books: gotowerscope.com/books

Add this podcast to your feed: www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-hard-skills-dr-mira-brancu-m0QzwsFiBGE/