Lalin Anik

With the widening adoption of technologies like artificial intelligence causing business to become increasingly transactional and impersonal, how can leaders make better, more conscientious business decisions and bring human connection both into the workplace and the consumer relationship to foster resilience and trust?

“One of the most important questions in my work is, how can we shift people’s focus from themselves to others so that resources are shared better, and people can be healthy, happier and more productive together?” explains Lalin Anik, Ph.D., (luh-LEEN uh-NEEK), behavioral scientist and director of the MBA in International Business Program at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. “We need to talk about how to motivate people to work with others in dynamic teams, and to deeply care about their customers.”

Anik, who was named the 2019 MBA Professor of the Year by Poets & Quants, leverages insights from economics and psychology to help leaders improve decision-making and build social connections among employees and target audiences.

Also an associate professor of marketing, she studies human behavior and how leaders can find a balance between selfishness and selflessness to spark engagement and trust. Her practical framework for quantifying benefits to oneself vs. others is a simple tool for visualizing the fine balance between the two that can cultivate new, positive behaviors.

Her strategies for leveraging human behavior with the latest technology also give organizations a clear path to increasing consumer trust and engagement with powerful new business tools like artificial intelligence.

Don’t Just Sell Widgets, Create Connections

An expert in behavioral economics who thrives in challenging conversations, Anik urges leaders to think of what they sell not as a product but as a solution to a social problem. Whether a charitable non-profit or a for-profit company that sells cars, toothpaste or widgets, by creating a sense of how people relate to each other and of belonging, companies can build connections and habits, leading to recurring customers.

“This is the core of successfully participating in the marketplace,” explains Anik. “By nudging customers to think about who else might have done this action before them, we create connections that lead to a feeling of ‘I want to be part of this group and part of the collective impact.’”

Applying Empathetic Leadership to Unlock Exceptional Team Performance

When training today’s leaders and the managers of tomorrow, Anik challenges the impersonal nature of today’s business world by prioritizing humanity and empathy. In fact, she says, building human connections with colleagues can unlock vast competitive advantages, including fostering atmospheres of psychological safety, well-being, happiness and productivity. By creating safe spaces where coworkers are empowered to show up authentically, employees are able to communicate with candor and generously share resources. From there, trust builds, exchanges of ideas flourish, and team performance soars.

“The power of empathy and empathetic leaders can’t be understated,” says Anik, one of 2019’s Best 40 Under 40 MBA Professors. “Leaders should personally consider the thoughts and feelings of others as well as expressing concern – inquiring and then listening to employees’ responses. Empathetic leadership doesn’t stop at caring. Leaders need to take it a step further and show commitment through action.”

One way to connect with colleagues is by embracing vulnerability. In her insightful and inspiring TEDx Talk, Anik explains that reframing simple questions like “how are you?” can lead to creating deeper connections through authenticity.

“Vulnerability requires a shift from the immediate joy of self-centered thinking to the satisfaction of other-focused behaviors,” Anik explains. “Vulnerability then becomes a core corporate capability that leads to better teamwork, efficiency and overall job satisfaction.”

From facilitating uplifting personal interactions to humanizing technology, Anik empowers organizations to nudge customers and employees toward positive behaviors. With team-focused and customer-centric approaches, organizations are able to grow by unlocking the benefits of connection, collaboration and adaptive, innovative performance.

Lalin Anik is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and previously taught at Columbia Business School, The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. As an award-winning professor, she has been a firm student favorite at these institutions, where she has been named “2019 MBA Professor of the Year” and one of “2019’s Best 40 Under 40 MBA Professors” by Poets & Quants in addition receiving numerous outstanding faculty and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion awards over the years.

For over two decades, Anik has guided firms and governments along new creative paths that generate synergy and energize collectives. Her collaborations secure efficient, effective and conscientious decisions as well as healthier, happier, more productive lives for countless employees, consumers and communities.

Anik has been a celebrated speaker at venues including the United Nations and TEDx, where she has helped challenge the impersonality pervading modern business, rock the balance between selfish and selfless, and cultivate new positive behaviors.

Once a professional swimmer in Turkey, she has found homes in the United States and most recently in the Netherlands. Anik holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Post Doctorate in Behavioral Economics from the Fuqua School of Business.

Lalin Anik is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group^®.