How Not to Blow It That semi-competent manager you and your colleagues used to complain about is gone. And guess who’s in charge now? It’s you, my friend. Sure, you have integrity; everyone knows that. But you also need a vision and a strategy, and to execute it skillfully. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself turning into [...]
If you don’t like how things are going, tell a different story. Sometimes strategic change just means taking something from the periphery — an anomaly, a demonstration, a small innovation — and redefining it as central. Put the past in perspective, not as a set of constraints or excuses, but as a springboard to new actions. [...]
We humans are funny. Often we create beliefs or engage in behaviors that seem to help us in the short term, only to discover they get in the way of the lives we really want to live, or the people we want to become. Allow me to share the story of my friend, Erin. Over [...]
A fresh grad at a new job or a seasoned manager on a career/job transition, transitions and changes can be daunting. To know what is expected and what you must do = empowerment. In this competitive fast-moving work environment, getting up to speed is largely dependent on you, not your manager or company training. When joining [...]
Nobody likes to be bossed around. Numerous studies, including my own, have shown that a collaborative management style is usually best. But there’s an important exception. New leaders who are perceived as having low status—because of their age, education, experience, or other factors—face different rules. They get better ratings and a result from their teams [...]
Our research has shown that more and more leaders — from organizations that range from computer-networking giant Cisco Systems to Hindustan Petroleum, a large India-based oil supplier — are using the power of organizational conversation to drive their company forward. For these leaders, internal communication isn’t just an HR function. It’s an engine of value [...]
I was late for my meeting with the CEO of a technology company and I was emailing him from my iPhone as I walked onto the elevator in his company’s office building. I stayed focused on the screen as I rode to the sixth floor. I was still typing with my thumbs when the elevator [...]
What prevents companies from innovating better? One possibility is that managers don’t really want their people to innovate, no matter what they say otherwise. Take time utilization: How many hours per day, week, or month are you encouraged to think creatively, or work on innovation? Companies like 3M and Google that allow employees to carve off [...]
John Clendenin was fresh out of business school in 1984 when he took on his first managerial position, in Xerox’s parts and supply division. He was an obvious outsider: young, African-American, and a former Marine, whose pink shirts and brown suits stood out amid the traditional gray and black attire of his new colleagues. “I [...]
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