Running a business correlates, very directly, to how one runs his or her life. In your life you attempt to maximize your efficiency while also attempting to maximize your utility, or happiness. As a business, you try to also maximize your efficiency as well as your utility. There is one difference though, the utility many are looking to optimize in a business is their utility as a result of profit. Sometimes we lose sight of what creates a successfully optimized business: successful workers, happy workers and workers who believe they are trusted.

The Right Way to Respond to Failure discusses how in life as well as business the way company leaders respond to a shortfall is not the most efficient. Most times people fail, they know what they have done wrong and understand their downfall. With that said, it does and will not help a worker to stab at an issue with advice or guidance. Peter Bregman discuss’ in his article that the proper way to approach a humiliated or discouraged employee is with empathy and understanding. To offer expressions that identify with understanding rather than advice will create trust between your team and reduce the likelihood of a defensive, distraught and ultimately unproductive employee.