During my interviews with practicing managers, I normally ask them at some point “what keeps you awake at night”? While the substance of their concerns varies, they always have some answer. The point is, all managers take some of their… Read More ›
line management
MANAGING YOUR FRUSTRATIONS
I’m sitting by Lake of the Woods in Northern Minnesota one recent morning, enjoying the sun rise, when I ask my sister-in-law about the most difficult part of her job as a sixth grade teacher. “Managing my frustrations”, she replied… Read More ›
CARPE MOMENTUM
Feedback! Oh how we love it, right? Well of course it depends. If it’s good feedback: great. The bad stuff: that’s not so great. As managers, we generally echo the above. We usually enjoy heaping praise on the well deserved… Read More ›
THE POWER OF WORDS
Language is powerful. Consciously or unconsciously, words convey and create powerful, evocative, emotional and lasting images both from the perspective of the user and the receiver. Over time, most organizations and their managers develop their own particular language to describe… Read More ›
SUPERIOR-SUBORDINATE RELATIONSHIPS
Managers, do your subordinates work under, for, or with you? An interesting question don’t you think? I recently interviewed a retired manager and when I asked her how she would like her former subordinates to describe her, she replied “I… Read More ›
SELECTING A MANAGER
A senior executive colleague of mine once told me he took great pride in his ability to fill managerial openings with high quality people. “I could always just close my eyes”, he said, “and picture at least five faces all… Read More ›
WELCOMINGS AND GOODBYES
I have long been fascinated by the universal ceremonies and rituals that have grown up around the need to welcome new members into a group and to say goodbye when members leave. Almost every culture on earth seems to have… Read More ›
REORGANIZING? MIND THE WHITE SPACES
I recently toured the soon to be occupied new building of a sizeable organization. Part of the tour included the workspaces of those employees who will carry out normal daily activities in this new environment and the locations of various… Read More ›
HOW SHOULD I DECIDE?
In a recent blog, I wrote about the importance and buy-in value of involving subordinates in decisions that will directly or indirectly impact their work and/or personal lives. I reiterate the point here because subordinate buy-in is often the essential… Read More ›
EVALUATING YOUR DECISIONS
Readers of this blog know my passion for management that possesses a bias for action. The best managers, in my view, always eschew the habit of simply talking or complaining about things, for doing things that have the potential to… Read More ›
Insights on Managing and Leading 