This Harvard Business School professor has spent over a decade studying how rituals can help us find purpose and make change. He’s proved that simple rituals like handshakes or coffee breaks can have powerful effects: from improving teamwork to helping us cut down on our phone usage. And his new book, The Ritual Effect, is a brilliant and broadly applicable guide to leveraging them in any situation.
In talks, Michael offers examples of real people who have used rituals to enrich their lives—like the firm that used rituals for a smooth and successful merger, or the nurse who maintains work/life balance by washing stress down the drain—and practical ways for you to tap into this power on campus, in the office, or at home. He shows you:
- How rituals are already folded into your workday—from morning coffee to your commute home—and how you can leverage that fact to boost your productivity;
- Why mandating rituals doesn’t work, and what leaders can do instead to encourage organic team bonding;
- How to use rituals to avoid burnout and build resilience in stressful situations;
- How to identify the rituals you’re already doing, and how you can build new ones;
- And more!
“Rituals offer all of us a way to enhance our lives with something more,” Michael says. “Go out and experiment. In every one of your days, ordinary actions may transform into the extraordinary.”
