Recently, several people have asked me for help with the following situation: They aren’t the appropriate decision-maker on a tough issue, but they can’t convince the relevant leader (whether it’s their boss or a colleague... Continue reading
I had an interesting conversation with an executive coaching client recently. He’s a direct, candid person, and he expects everyone to behave that way with him. He was concerned that if he was less than... Continue reading
Recently, when I was talking with Michael Piperno of the Leadership Communication podcast, he asked me a question that I hear often in many different forms: How do you create appropriately cascading communications where there... Continue reading
One of my clients was distressed about how much his new boss was pressuring him. His boss kept loading him up with multiple new initiatives and demands to increase his team’s performance with no apparent... Continue reading
I really enjoyed doing the podcast interview “How Can We Fix All the Conflicts at Work?” recently with RJ Singh of Ultrahabits. We had a meaty discussion about how to share new ideas and manage... Continue reading
Many people — particularly those less experienced in the ways of organizational life — assume that once they’ve mentioned or complained about a problem, the appropriate person will do something about it. Not only that,... Continue reading
Last week, three women from different organizations described the same kind of confusing, uncomfortable situation to me. I suspect this kind of problem comes up pretty frequently, and not just for women — but that... Continue reading
As a management consultant and executive coach, I’m often present when crucial presentations are being made to boards, senior leadership, and top customers. Although many presenters have good technical chops, know their stuff, and care... Continue reading
We’ve all experienced that embarrassing, queasy, just-on-the-edge-of-fear feeling when someone at work throws a temper tantrum. Tantrums are usually associated with toddlers, not adults, because they involve reactions that are “disproportionate to the circumstances,” according... Continue reading
A couple of years ago, I did a Dear HBR podcast on how hard it can be to confront your boss. One of the difficulties is that we can’t anticipate the true needs of someone... Continue reading
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