For those of you who believe that a climate of fear and intimidation is the way to get the best out of your subordinates, please do not read any further. You will only get angry with me. Years of personal… Read More ›
line management
MAX DE PREE
I am often asked by my clients and workshop participants to recommend some books and articles for managers. I tell them that over the years, I have compiled a list of my favorites and that it is available via my… Read More ›
IS EVERYBODY HAPPY?
Every manager intellectually understands that accepting his or her authority over others, means that there is no way in the world that they will be able to exercise that authority and always keep everybody happy. But knowing that is not… Read More ›
A MANAGER’S MANY HATS
In a recent blog, I characterized a manager’s usual day as fragmented; a series of occurences, meetings, requests for attention, instructions from above, and ad hoc problems often with little in common to connect them. This lack of coherence or consistency in the… Read More ›
WHY FOLLOW THROUGH REALLY MATTERS
During my management career, I watched numerous ideas, initiatives, and grand visions birthed, launched with great enthusiasm, often gobble up precious resources, and then simply fade into oblivion. Similarly, I observed the proverbial shelf as it gradually filled up with… Read More ›
GETTING IT RIGHT
When someone is selected to be a manager, there is an implicit understanding between them and their superiors that one of their most important responsibilities is to “get things right” whatever those things happen to be in their particular line of work…. Read More ›
DOES IT MATTER?
When our children were younger, departure day for a family vacation was quite a test for me. Having had many preparatory conversations about the limits of our car’s trunk space and having reached what I thought was a consensus on… Read More ›
SPEAK WITH PRECISION, REPEAT WHAT’S IMPORTANT
Few human endeavors are as challenging as human communication. The process starts in our brain with our thoughts concerning what we wish to communicate. We then translate those thoughts into words we believe convey the exact meaning we intend. We… Read More ›
THE SHADOW OF AUTHORITY
I first encountered the concept of a manager’s shadow at a seminar I attended in Boston some years ago. The presenter — a female corrections officer whose name, but not her message, I’ve long forgotten — was recounting the evolution… Read More ›
THE LIMITS OF CONTROL
Regardless of the statistics indicating the safety of air travel, why do most of us remain a bit jittery during take-offs and landings? Why does almost any surgery involving anesthesia seem so scary? Why does driving in extremely heavy fog,… Read More ›
Insights on Managing and Leading 