Firing someone is no fun. But when they’re not performing, and they’ve been given multiple chances and appropriate coaching and training, it’s necessary. It’s tempting to let things keep muddling along, especially if the person appears to be trying. You feel bad for them, of course. But letting things go on too long is a very bad idea. For one …
Don’t be a lazy leader
I’m not talking about hustle culture. (Eww) I’m not advocating 80-hour workweeks. (Ugh) Not at all. But there are two things, above and beyond the job description of any leader, that are important – and not paying attention to those things is what I call “being a lazy leader.” Know yourself Real leadership – the kind I hope all my …
The thorny question of values
I’ve had a love / hate relationship with the concept of core values for – well, just about forever. Are they important? Of course. Is it worth knowing what your values are? Absolutely. But then there’s the thorny question of how do you REALLY know. And there are a gazillion different approaches to that. (Yes, I counted!) From lists of …
Can “trust” be defined?
Over the years, I’ve read – and thought – a lot about trust. More recently, I’ve been collecting quotes about trust, in preparation for writing this article. (Side note: for me, a good quote is a distillation of a concept – a concentrated concept, so to speak – and as such is useful for fine-tuning understanding.) It’s easy to agree …
Leaders are Teachers
Very simply: if you’re a leader, you should also be a teacher. Actually, I’ll revise that. If you’re a leader, you already are a teacher. Whether you realize it or not. The key is to be self-aware enough to teach the right things to the right people at the right time. This requires understanding your people – their skill level, …
Can you be “confidently ignorant”?
I came across this concept of “confident ignorance” long enough ago that I don’t remember where I saw it, but it stuck with me. What does it even mean? And is it a bad thing, or a good thing, or what? I’ve concluded that, like so many things, it depends. Let’s look at both sides. The “bad thing” side I’ve known …
Understanding ≠ Agreement
Throughout your career and your life, you’ll experience different levels of agreement, disagreement, and conflict. These days, some of it (maybe most of it) will be about the current state of politics and, well, All The Things going on. Some of it will be about what’s happening in your workplace. And some of it will be about Life Stuff. All …
Is AI “killing” change management?
That’s a question asked in a recent Fast Company article. The article suggests, with some validity, that change comes too fast these days for traditional change management to keep up, especially now that change has been accelerated by AI. No question there. The article starts out by claiming that: I don’t disagree that change leadership is about managing resistance, at least …
A group is not a team
I’ve said it for years: a group of people in a room (or a Zoom meeting or a Slack workspace) is not a team. It’s just a group of people. It takes more than sticking them together under the auspices of a manager or team lead for them to become a team. And I trust you’ve read enough of my …
Do you understand?
You’ve been to class, you’ve read books and articles, you’ve watched videos. Whatever you’re studying, you’ve … studied it. Do you understand it? Unless it’s quantum physics – which I’m not sure it’s possible to understand, even by the people doing the science – and assuming you really have studied, you’ll probably say Yes, yes! I understand! Okay, then. Can you do the …