Overcoming Cynicism to Build Cultures of Trust
Description
Cynicism—the belief that people are selfish and conniving—has been rising for decades and is an early frontrunner for mood of the 2020s. But when we don’t trust each other, we risk missing out on the things that matter: our health, relationships, and ability to innovate.
Cynical thinking is especially dangerous when it creeps into the workplace; if it catches on, it can snuff out creativity and collaboration. If we want our teams to trust each other and share their most innovative ideas, we need to fight this invisible threat.
Stanford psychology professor Jamil Zaki can help. He’s a world leader in the science of human connection, and he’s tackling this problem in a new way.
As he laid out in a TED Talk that quickly earned millions of views, cynicism is a “trap” that we fall into. When we think cynically, we are more likely to compete, suspect, and alienate others, bringing out the worst in them and spreading cynicism even further. Jamil shows us how to stop this self-fulfilling prophecy so that we can see the best in each other again.
- You’ll learn how to diagnose and overcome the bugs in our thinking that cause cynical attitudes.
- You’ll be able to correct the common leadership behaviors that inadvertently spread cynicism across organizations, leading to burnout and turnover.
- Most of all, you’ll learn about “anti-cynicism,” a term that Jamil has coined for a set of practices that actively combat cynical thinking.
Anti-cynical workplaces take intentional steps to promote cooperation and trust, and to create healthier, more successful cultures. When you leave Jamil’s talk, you’ll be ready to build an anti-cynical community of your own.
Speaker Bio
Jamil Zaki is a full professor of psychology at Stanford University.
He and his colleagues study social connection, including empathy, cooperation, and trust and develop tools to help people connect more effectively.
Dr. Zaki received his BA in cognitive neuroscience from Boston University and his PhD in psychology from Columbia University and conducted postdoctoral research at the Harvard Center for Brain Science.
He has published over 100peer-reviewed articles and received about two dozen awards from scientific associations and universities. In 2019 he was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the US Government’s highest honor for researchers at his career stage.
In addition to his academic work, Dr. Zaki is active in outreach and public communication of science. He has written about human connection for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The Harvard Business Review, and The New Yorker.
His books, The War for Kindness and Hope for Cynics have been called a “wide-ranging, practical guide to making the world better” by NPR, and “a ray of light for dark days” by Adam Grant. Jamil regularly gives talks and trainings to a range of audiences, including Fortune 500 executives, middle schoolers, healthcare workers, and government officials.
His TED and TEDx talks have been viewed over 3,000,000 times.
He and his colleagues study social connection, including empathy, cooperation, and trust and develop tools to help people connect more effectively.
Dr. Zaki received his BA in cognitive neuroscience from Boston University and his PhD in psychology from Columbia University and conducted postdoctoral research at the Harvard Center for Brain Science.
He has published over 100peer-reviewed articles and received about two dozen awards from scientific associations and universities. In 2019 he was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the US Government’s highest honor for researchers at his career stage.
In addition to his academic work, Dr. Zaki is active in outreach and public communication of science. He has written about human connection for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The Harvard Business Review, and The New Yorker.
His books, The War for Kindness and Hope for Cynics have been called a “wide-ranging, practical guide to making the world better” by NPR, and “a ray of light for dark days” by Adam Grant. Jamil regularly gives talks and trainings to a range of audiences, including Fortune 500 executives, middle schoolers, healthcare workers, and government officials.
His TED and TEDx talks have been viewed over 3,000,000 times.
