Honesty or diplomacy – which is better for your career? Your answer to this question will shape your career. Are you brutally honest? Are you a tactful diplomat? Is there a middle ground to strike, and how do you know where to strike it? It seems like a simple enough question, but is it? I […]
Toxic leadership traits – what are yours? We are all a little bit toxic. Occasionally, when we’re at our worst. Our toxic traits come out when we’re tired, stressed, and overwhelmed. Sometimes they’re just bad habits or idiosyncrasies. Sometimes they’re a bit more serious than that. Our toxic traits don’t define us. And they don’t […]
Is your boss a monster? My tips to survive Monsters, narcissists, gas lighters, sadists. The worst bosses come as all manner of monstrosity. Sometimes their evil is disguised to everyone else. Sometimes they are transparently terrible. To be clear, I’m not talking about a demanding boss, some harsh feedback, or a little micromanagement. Today we’re […]
From setback to success – leading through adversity It was my second week on the job. On stage, in front of the entire company. I was prepared and practiced. It was my big moment. And then, before I knew it, absolute disaster. It started as a technical issue, and then a stumble, and then total […]
Vulnerable leadership – Sappy or Superpower? Vulnerable leadership. Vulnerable, authentic, transparent … a veritable Mount Rushmore of modern leadership virtues. Our LinkedIn feeds are drowning in them. The buzziest of buzz words. Three different words, meaning essentially the same thing. At this point, we all know we should lead with vulnerability. But why? And, how […]
Can you be successful and happy at work? This is my first blog in over four years. I stopped writing. There was a time this would have been unimaginable to me. I had written a book, I had thousands of loyal newsletter subscribers, and the ritual of writing a blog every week to share the […]
Leaders: How to reduce stress at work Being a leader brings with it a special kind of pressure. When you’re an individual contributor, there is pressure to be sure. But the stress you face when it’s all you, feels less chaotic, more controllable than when you manage a team. As a contributor, you do good […]
3 tips for managing remote teams I have a lot of experience working from home. I enjoy it immensely for all the reasons you’d expect. It saves time. It’s less stressful. I’m more productive. I can take a 30 minute nap before my next call. There are so many great things about working from home […]
Sink or swim or something in between? We’re going to give her this job and she’ll either sink or swim. We’re going to toss him into the deep end and see if he can make it. There is a school of thought among managers that we can’t coddle people forever. That our team members need […]
“15% better” or “best in the world”? Incrementalism is a trap. In my opinion at least. It is a byproduct of short term, quarter by quarter thinking. It is a sure-fire way to become the victim of disruption. It is also common in just about every team I’ve ever worked with. Whether you work at […]
