Every company has outstanding managers. These are the people who lead happy, productive teams, who easily motivate others and inspire innovation. They wear leadership like a comfortable sweater.
If you take a moment, you can probably name a few of these excellent managers in your organization.
And that’s the problem. There are only a few, and they […]
A lot of managers, particularly new ones, make a fundamental mistake. They do the work their teams should do rather than their own job.
Maybe your staff is down a person, and you figure it’s better to pitch in than to stress everyone out. Or maybe the workload is unexpectedly heavy, so you lend a hand […]
We love our rules, don’t we? They’re important to us because we feel that by regulating the behavior of others, we are safer, healthier and richer. After all, isn’t civilization simply a system of rules and consequences?
So, we apply the same thinking to the workplace. There are rules about what time to show up, how […]
Why is it so great to be a manager? Because finally, after all those years of butt-kissing, pride swallowing, teeth clenching agony, it’s your turn on top. You’re the boss now. What you say goes.
It’s time for people to kiss your butt and fear your wrath. And it’s time for you to get your hands […]
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s now-famous comments about the Kenosha Guard Facebook page that violated the company’s terms – that “the contractors” had failed to remove the page – drew a lot of flack.
Many people feel Facebook should be more vigilant. And of course that’s correct. But there is a larger problem here.
By blaming “contractors” for […]
Though it hasn’t been relevant for a couple of decades, the old notion of “paying your dues,” is alive and well.
There are probably two reasons it’s still with us. First, it’s a way of making young workers stop complaining about the unrewarding, difficult crap they have to do.
Tired of fetching coffee for the boss? It’s […]
People often think they’re saying one thing when they’re actually saying something very different.
Sometimes the word “but” is the tipoff.
“I’m a very open-minded person, but…” is a sure sign you’re about to hear something very closed-minded.
Sometimes the tipoff isn’t a word, it’s the fact that the person is saying it all, and that’s where poor […]
When I was a junior in high school, my classmates and I were told to start thinking about our college majors, and by extension, our careers. We got personality tests, aptitude tests and earnest advice.
So, we thought, that must be how it works: you figure out what you like to do, you find a career […]
…you are a dick manager.
You’re having a discussion with an employee who can sometimes be a little defiant. Their heart is in the right place—probably—but they get no points for style. They are blunt and accusatory and though they may have a point, their attitude makes it hard for you to admit it.
Finally, after going […]
(published July 31, 2020) Another day, another scandal involving an executive who is said to have engaged in sexist, homophobic, racist behavior.
Today’s story has all the usual elements—a bad boy whose maturation appears to have stopped in the frat house, traumatized staff afraid of retaliation, and a corporation expressing shock that such things could have […]
