In the past few years, diversity has been hailed as one of the keys to high-performing teams, and many companies have introduced diversity officers and policies. However, the promise of diversity often remains unfulfilled. Research has shown that diverse teams usually do not perform better than homogeneous teams. In fact, in a third of cases their performance is worse – and in another third there is no difference. In this episode Dr Meir Shemla of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University explains how to achieve the potential of diverse teams without falling into the trap of simplistic diversity policies.

Achieving empowering leadership has often been described as the Holy Grail of increasing employee motivation and performance. However, managers regularly confuse empowering leadership with laissez-faire leadership. While the former can result in positive outcomes for employees and the organisation by supporting people in developing their skills, the latter can lead to frustration and disillusionment. In this episode Prof. Steffen Giessner of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University explains the fine line between empowering and laissez-faire leadership; more often than not, leadership relies on employees’ perception.

In this episode I talk to Dr. Hannes Leroy of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University about authentic leadership and why "just be yourself" might not be such a good advice after all.