Truly good leadership is not a fixed thing. It’s situational and requires sizing up the reality around you and adjusting to it. It’s the opposite of doing whatever worked for you in the past even... Continue reading
Between layoffs, reorganizations, and people being promoted into different work groups, it’s pretty common to inherit team members you haven’t chosen or about whom you know little or nothing. Some of these folks might not... Continue reading
The first time I had to fire someone, I was 22—and I was given no training, instructions, or support. The experience was so upsetting that as soon as the meeting was over, I ran to... Continue reading
In our workplace culture, most of us have been trained—or at least prefer—to believe that if we don’t hear any disagreement, there probably isn’t any. And we think that’s a good thing! Most of us... Continue reading
Now that it’s normal to encounter people who seem to be talking to themselves because of the inconspicuousness of technology, perhaps it’s time to take advantage of the benefits of really talking to ourselves. After... Continue reading
Leaders often find that it’s harder than they expected to get people to change their behavior—not only to ask them to change, but also to explain how to make the actual change. Many execs are... Continue reading
Last week I heard from several executives about colleagues trying to manipulate them to behave differently or make certain decisions favorable to the manipulators. I’m not sure if these instances were coincidental or if something... Continue reading
The other day I ran into a colleague I hadn’t seen for a while. As she started telling me about a recent family tragedy, her eyes welled up with tears, and mine immediately did the... Continue reading
This post originally appeared on Forbes. Sometimes it feels like the workplace is where the most difficult people are. It’s hard to find lasting solutions to the feelings of stress and tension that come from... Continue reading
“Can you be a good-to-great leader without being compassionate?” Russel Lolacher asked me during our wonderful conversation for his Relationships at Work podcast. It’s a tough-minded and practical question given the current challenges in many... Continue reading
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