Tag: management
3 Different Ways to Make a Change from “Playing Favorites”
“I’m the goodest one, right?” asked the four-year-old girl. In the hotel restaurant, her clearly beleaguered grandmother was also supervising yammering twin five-year-olds, and a toddler crying for a Band-Aid. The situation provided the perfect... Continue reading
The Surprising Truth about Consensus
Consensus sounds so nice: Everyone agrees and moves forward together. Kumbaya! Seems like a good thing, right? But here’s how one client described the way his company practices consensus (with my italics): “We have to... Continue reading
This is What to Do When a Longstanding Employee Is in a Slump
Has someone been on your team so long that their performance is tanking and they appear to have stopped engaging in the relationship? As one client described it to me: “I’m surprised to be feeling... Continue reading
Primary Prognosis: You Can’t Be Conflict-Averse and Win
Any leader who doesn’t stand up when it’s time to stand up will not be a successful leader for the long term. A leader who is consistently unable or unwilling to stand up won’t ever... Continue reading
Want to Be Your Managerial Best? Try a Walk in the Woods
“You’re always saying how important it is to see the forest and the trees,” read the email from a guy I mentor. He’s a high-performing high potential whose career is at the inflection point between... Continue reading
Does “Radical Candor” Really Work?
Let’s talk about “radical candor” now, before it gets too popular. Radical candor, also known as “front-stabbing,” is the management “secret” of former Google director Kim Scott. This direct form of critique is meant to... Continue reading
Do You Need to Stop a Passive-Aggressive Person from Slowing Down Your Team?
“I’m at my wits’ end,” my client said during our monthly call, and he explained how frustrating interpersonal dynamics were hobbling his team, making them work smaller and less creatively. Mostly, he said, the problem... Continue reading
How to Manage Your Anxious “Tells” at Work
The senior director sighed. He had just conducted the third interview of the afternoon, and we only had a couple of minutes to debrief before the next one. “How well do these candidates stack up?”... Continue reading