7-minute read A monthly post generated from reflective thought and experience “We live in an age of answers.” Joshua Jay, magician Never before has information been so easy to access; facts, opinions (so many opinions), and analysis available at the tap of a button. This flood of abundance has seeped into every corner of [...]
7-minute read A monthly post generated from reflective thought and experience Ask any leader for a list of their top five challenges. Managing conflict and difficult conversations usually lead the list. Managing workplace disagreement is a mandatory management skill that requires leaders to be comfortable with discomfort. It’s one of the reasons leaders get paid [...]
7-minute read What often separates good leaders from bad is the ability to communicate. From an early age, we are taught to speak by learning, repeating, and stringing together words, yet communication - how to influence, successfully convey a message, and employ verbal and non-verbal techniques - we learn organically. If you’ve ever been around [...]
4-minute read Happy New Year. This installment is the first of the 12th year of these articles. Whether you’re a new reader or have been reading since the beginning, thanks for coming along for the ride. Lately, I’ve been talking with clients and reading smart single contributors and big-dog pundits, looking for predictive markers of [...]
4-minute read In deference to Giving Tuesday, this article is posting a week late. It’s December, a month of both reflection and anticipation. How to sum up a year like no other? The overarching theme of 2025 was uncertainty, about funding, the job market, the stock market, the future of democracy, and the list [...]
6-minute read, 9-minute listen Channeling this past weekend’s NYC Marathon, the end-of-the-year sprint at work has officially begun. And it’s accompanied by stress. Stress isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s part of our daily operating rhythm at work and in life. There are two kinds of stress: healthy stress, the happy marriage of a lot [...]
6-minute read There's a nip in the air, the leaves are gliding from green to red and gold, and Halloween candy is overflowing store shelves; welcome to performance evaluation season. Performance evaluation is one of the most impactful processes for managers. As the culmination of a year’s worth of one-on-one meetings, yearly evaluations provide an [...]
6-minute read Ever wondered why some offsite meetings leave you buzzing with ideas—and others feel like a well-organized snoozefest? After years of seeing both breakthroughs and flatlines, one thing is clear: the magic happens when leaders thoughtfully design experiences that invite fresh thinking, foster connection, and pave the way for action. Why Offsites Matter: Part [...]
6-minute read One-on-one meetings shape team culture. If executed well, they are a manager’s secret weapon for building connections and trust, staff retention, and productivity. This uninterrupted time to hear what’s on your team member’s mind, how they solve problems, and where they can use support from you or others is incredibly valuable for creating [...]
5-minute read There’s a quiet revolution underway in organizations. It’s not happening in boardrooms or innovation labs. It’s unfolding in one-on-one conversations, team huddles, and Slack threads. At the heart of it all? Middle managers—reclaiming their space not just as task masters, but as coaches. For too long, middle managers have been the overlooked [...]
