Recently a good friend and former boss of mine and I were exchanging emails. The subject of management came up and he suggested that I write a blog about managing without “managing”. As I read on in his email I… Read More ›
advice for managers
THE CARDINAL SINS OF MANAGEMENT: 5. BANKRUPTING YOUR WORD
“You have my word”. Throughout written history — Western history at least — the phrase “you have my word” has carried significant symbolic meaning. It is often paired with the concept of honor and invariably communicates an important contract between he… Read More ›
THE CARDINAL SINS OF MANAGEMENT: 4. PADDING YOUR RESUME
My last cardinal sin for managers post — takeing credit for the accomplishments, ideas, and successes of others — involves misrepresenting yourself as the author of real things. Cardinal sin number 4 for managers, involves creating fiction. Specifically, the invention of… Read More ›
THE CARDINAL SINS OF MANAGEMENT: 3. TAKING CREDIT FOR THE WORK OF OTHERS
As I write this series of articles I entitled the Cardinal Sins of Management, I find myself unable to decide which of them is more irritating, infuriating, frustrating, or just plain unacceptable from the standpoint of a subordinate. Suffice to… Read More ›
THE CARDINAL SINS OF MANAGEMENT: 2. ABANDONING SHIP
Cardinal Sin number two — Abandoning Ship — is a close relative of rejecting blame but is, in my experience, sufficiently different in its dynamics and insidiousness to warrant a separate discussion. Picture a lively meeting between a manager and his… Read More ›
THE CARDINAL SINS OF MANAGEMENT: 1. REJECTING BLAME
Mistakes come with the job of management. You make a lot of them and most are minor, easily correctable, acknowledged without much embarrassment, and do little harm to you, your subordinates, or the organization. But there are a few mistakes… Read More ›
DEMEANING SUBORDINATES IS NEVER OK
If you have ever received a highly personal verbal attack from a boss, you know how embarrassing, demoralizing, emotionally traumatic, and infuriating that can be. It’s even worse if it was done in public If you have spent any time… Read More ›
SURVIVING A REGIME CHANGE
During a recent cross-country flight, I struck up a conversation with a fellow frequent flier about our professions and the various challenges we faced. An architect who appreciates client stability from start to finish on his various projects, he told… Read More ›
THE COST OF UNNECESSARY ORGANIZATIONAL SECRECY
You wonder what’s going on at work? Things just don’t seem right. You called your friend top-side who works with the boss and they told you there have been a lot of behind-closed-door discussions among the managers of late but… Read More ›
GOOD MANAGERS EXCELL IN ALL VENUES
Bruce Bochy is a good manager. His profession is baseball. He is not a household name even among true baseball fans and he does not win championships every season. But this year his team, the San Francisco Giants, won the… Read More ›
Insights on Managing and Leading 