There is a concerning trend in the world of leadership. A recent global forecast shows some alarming numbers: fewer than half of managers actually trust their own bosses, and the trust towards senior leaders is even lower, with less than a third of leaders feeling confident in their top-tier executives. Think about this. Trust is … Read more
A while back, I advised leaders to focus more on building strong relationships and less on using their role power. This idea is still important today. You can see my original post here. It used to be easier to give examples of role power — people could be bossy, “my way or the highway”, and … Read more
About seven years ago, I wrote a piece about managing up, and loaded it up with thoughts that hold up, and I want to lift out the best parts, since the original version was a bit too long. 1: Before seeking influence with your own manager, consider how safe you make it for your own … Read more
In fall of 2016, I learned about a simple technique to explore business weaknesses with your team. Ask them this: “If you were a competitor, how would could you put us out of business?” I was very excited about this at the time — I shared it with clients, used it with Group Dynamic, and … Read more
About seven years ago I wrote a post about “disruption,” which was a common buzzword at the time. The basic point was this: It’s important to pay attention to people who are different than you, rather than to surround yourself with like-minded folks. Unfortunately, I titled it “Leaders Know When to Tolerate High Maintenance People.“ … Read more
Shortly after Patrick Lencioni’s Ideal Team Player was published, I wrote a piece explaining and extolling the virtues of Hunger, Humility, and People Smarts. These concepts hold up well, and I haven’t lost my passion for talking about them. I hire for them. I’ve counseled others on how to hire for them. These concepts frequently … Read more
In 2016, I wrote this piece about the way to apply the Kübler-Ross stages of grief to organizational change, and made the case that a person’s needs change depending on their stage. The “dos and don’ts” definitely hold up. It’s interesting to revisit this post-Covid. I thought maybe the complexity of the responses to the … Read more
A few years ago, I wrote a piece dedicated to the dangers of starting sentences with “to be honest,” and I still think it’s not the best choice. However, there’s a point I’d like to emphasize, because it’s buried at the end of that post: Look out for judging others who start their points with … Read more
A few years ago, I summarized a recent four-post series with pointers on how to “be easy to work with.” You can read it here, with links to all four in the series. The overall implication was that being easy to work with is a good thing, and I still feel that way. I would … Read more
A few years ago, I shared a vivid phrase to describe being passive-aggressive: “Violently polite.” I think it holds up, but I had forgotten about it. I’m glad for the chance to revisit this. In the years since then, I’ve been more likely to focus on “toxic positivity,” which is NOT the same thing. Toxic … Read more