Work, success, and meaning at every stage of your career
A global crisis no one saw coming and no one sees ending (for now) can make even the strongest of us feel out of control. Having your workforce working from home in their bunny slippers for months at a time is challenging for any manager. Pity the micromanager forced to endure a pandemic and having … Continue reading The Pandemic has been Hard on Micromanagers
Good job! How could saying something kind be cruel? It turns out that praise has a dark side; its effects have been studied extensively in children, but I believe praise can have negative effects on adults as well. In a recent New York Times article, writer Paul Underwood says parents have been told for years … Continue reading Think Twice Before You Say “Good Job!”
In previous posts, I wrote about how your advice habit is making everyone around you feel less empowered and less smart. Michael Bungay Stanier is the author of The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever, a book about how to get rid of your tendency to jump in … Continue reading Be the Coach, Not the Boss
In a previous post, I explored why giving advice isn’t working for you or the people you’re trying to help. Today’s post is designed to get you into a productive listening mode. Michael Bungay Stanier is the author of The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever, a book … Continue reading Listen More, Talk Less
You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. you can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. -Naguib Mahfouz Michael Bungay Stanier says you have an advice problem. I have one, too. Bungay Stanier is the author of The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You … Continue reading Take My Advice. On the Other Hand, Please Don’t.
No, this isn’t another “Work from Home Zoom meeting gone bad” post. It’s a post about daring to be authentic – to bring your true self to work, and letting people see who you really are. That’s the premise of Naked at Work: A Leader’s Guide to Fearless Authenticity by Danessa Knaupp. She starts out … Continue reading Naked at Work
What’s your plan? If 2019 was not all you’d hoped for at work, you might be thinking of moving on this year. Here’s an alternative idea: create a plan to grow and thrive where you are right now. Large companies often create career plans for rising stars. The plans help leadership prepare for the future … Continue reading For 2020, Write a Career Plan
In a previous post, I wrote about Two Awesome Hours by Josh Davis. He tackles the tough subject of how to get things done as a human being, with all our human failings. If you have important work to do, Josh Davis has tips on how to get it done. The previous post discussed what … Continue reading You versus your Monkey Brain
Have you ever had one of those days? You have something big you need to do – prepare for an important presentation, create an outline for a critical report, or get ready for a challenging meeting. You know it’s the most important thing on your to-do list today (maybe for the whole week), but the … Continue reading Two Awesome Hours
In a previous post, I write about the insidious creep of administrative work it takes to run a modern household. From scheduling appointments to paying bills, calling about repairs, and following up with kids’ activities, the never-ending to-do list that is life admin takes up enormous amounts of time, resources, and brainpower. Elizabeth Emens is … Continue reading Life Admin
