Being called a “change agent” is a popular and coveted title among many managers. But over the years, I have observed that many who hold that title have, in fact, not changed very much at all. Many of the true movers and… Read More ›
Managing & Leading
BREAKING THE MOLD
Why is change within an organization so hard? To begin with, it rarely happens quickly; that is, it’s rarely one way today and totally different tomorrow. Change is usually incremental and evolutionary. Secondly, as I have written elsewhere in this… Read More ›
THE ART OF MOVING ON
Leaving one management job for something else — within management or outside of the profession — generally happens in one of two ways: reassignment for some reason or you choose to change assignments or professions yourself. Both forms of departure involve… Read More ›
WATCH THAT “FIX IT” MODE
We have all heard the axiom “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. By extension of that logic, I suppose that means if it is broke, then fix it. Observing the behavior of many managers over the years, I believe… Read More ›
A MANAGER’S FIRST YEAR
It surprises me that I have not turned to this subject sooner in this series of articles, since it is such an important topic. So much of value happens in a manager’s first year — both good and bad —… Read More ›
COMMUNICATING DECISIONS
A common criticism I hear about management, is that they often announce important decisions with little or no explanation, rationale, or indication of the precise results they hope to achieve. Moreover, these complaints often come from line managers who say… Read More ›
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR SUBORDINATES
Imagine that out of compassion, you hire an unemployed friend into a position directly under your management supervision. In short order, you discover that your friend is having difficulty getting along with your other subordinates, that there are some serious… Read More ›
CHANGE AND A SENSE OF LOSS
A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop conducted by the current chairman emeritus and founder of the Levinson Institute — Psychologist Harry Levinson, Ph.D. — focused on the topic of organizational change. Early in my… Read More ›
CAN ALL OF US BE RIGHT?
In a discussion where the parties have strongly held views, can everybody be right? Of course not, many of you will quickly respond. There is only one right view on the matter at hand some will say, and if you… Read More ›
BAD MANAGEMENT REVISITED
Recently I posted an article entitled “The Price of Bad Management”. In it I focused on the impact bad management practices have on the productivity of an organization and on those who work for and must interact with a bad… Read More ›
Insights on Managing and Leading 