Communication
When people use fridge magnet wisdom to justify bad behavior
Pithy sayings–fridge magnet wisdom–can help us see things in new ways. But their simplicity lends them to being misinterpreted, misused, and even weaponized.
Leadership
Why I dislike the term “managing up”
Managing Up is a term that reinforces the channels of authoritarian hierarchy. I prefer to use a term a professional dancer told me: back-leading. Here’s why.
Leadership
Two questions you need to answer as a manager when taking over a team
Stepping into a management role and taking over a team can be far more complex than many people assume. These questions and exercises can help ensure success.
Career
Improve your leaders to improve your organization
How one-on-one coaching can help improve your leaders, which will improve your organization in ways that no retreat, training, or reorganization can.
Community
Volunteerism comes in all shapes and sizes—giving away your time for free
Saying “I’ll volunteer when my business is off the ground” is like saying “I’ll start coaching youth teams when my kids are grown up.” Now is the time to get involved.
Career
Is your life designed by committee? If so, claim your role as your own committee chair.
Advice from other people is always based on their own biases and experiences. Take control of your own decisions and don’t live a life designed by committee.
Communication
Five rules for email subject lines and why you should care
Bad communicators write bad email subject lines. Here are five rules to make your communication more effective, and to make your coworkers appreciate you more.
Conflict
Loyalty to yourself isn’t as simple as it sounds
Are you most loyal to your past self, to your future self, or to a fictitious self created by other people? The answer should almost always be, “It depends.”
Career
Embracing the middle manager’s role as ignorant speed bump
The middle manager’s role is to manage both up and down the org chart. This means questioning authority and speaking truth to power, as well as managing staff.
Career
Six reasons you betray your future self, and how to stop doing it
Saying yes to something new can be hard. Don’t betray your future self by giving in to all the bad reasons and external pressures telling you “no.”