Organizations are often run according to “the superchicken model,” where the value is placed on star employees who outperform others. And yet, this isn’t what drives the most high-achieving teams. Business leader Margaret Heffernan observes that it is social cohesion — built every coffee break, every time one team member asks another for help — […]
How To Give Negative Performance Feedback, Part 1
By Caroline Ceniza-levine | www.forbes.com | Giving performance feedback can be tricky because ideally you want to turn the situation around but you don’t know how the person receiving the feedback will react. In this post, I’ll share suggestions for sharing negative performance feedback when you have a recipient who gets defensive. In a follow-up post, Part […]
3 Interview Questions to Help You Weed Out Jerks
By Jessica Stillman | www.inc.com | According to Harvard Business School research rooting out a toxic employee from your team will actually save you more than twice as much as hiring a superstar will earn you. Hiring jerks, in other words, is hugely costly. But that’s not the only reason Chieh Huang, the founder and CEO of online retailer […]
Transcending Either-Or Decision Making
hbr.org Jennifer Riel, an adjunct professor at the Rotman School of Management, presents a model way to solve problems: integrative thinking. It’s taking the best from two inadequate options to come up with a successful solution. She gives examples from the film industry to show how CEOs have put the process to work. Riel is the […]
5 Little Words That Will Make You a Much Better Leader
By Jessica Stillman, www.inc.com We all know great leaders excel at articulating their vision. What’s less often appreciated is that listening is an equally valuable leadership skill. Why? First, because feeling truly heard is deeply empowering for a team. As Yale business professor Marissa Kind has explained, “when employees feel listened to, they are less likely to feel emotionally exhausted and […]
7 Lessons on Failure You Can Learn From Top Athletes
By Sujan Patel, www.entrepreneur.com What’s the secret to success? You could say hard work or dedication or even a positive attitude. But the real secret? Failure. Your past failures are directly related to your future success. Without them, you may not be motivated enough to reach your goals. Athletes face defeat often throughout their careers but don’t let […]
How Too Many Rules at Work Keep You From Getting Things Done
Modern work — from waiting tables to crunching numbers to designing products — is about solving brand-new problems every day, flexibly and collaboratively. But as Yves Morieux shows in this insightful talk, too often, an overload of rules, processes and metrics keeps us from doing our best work together. Meet the new frontier of productivity: […]
To Be a Great Leader, You Have to Learn How to Delegate Well
By Jesse Sostrin, hbr.org One of the most difficult transitions for leaders to make is the shift from doing to leading. As a new manager you can get away with holding on to work. Peers and bosses may even admire your willingness to keep “rolling up your sleeves” to execute tactical assignments. But as your responsibilities become more complex, the […]