Here’s how one leader’s attempt to set boundaries for her team backfired. Carol was prone to sending emails to her team members whenever an idea popped into her head, but she didn’t want her staff to think they had to do the same, so she sent this email to her team. She even added a […]
When Boundary-Setting Backfires Bigtime Read More »
The return-to-office debate has worn thin. People on one side or the other will find data that supports their perspectives and refutes others. These arguments might drag on for another few years, leaving some companies feeling vindicated they made the right decision, while others will regret the choices they made, or didn’t make. I’ve been
With the Right Leadership Skills, Work Location May Be a Moot Point Read More »
In his biting satire A Modest Proposal, author Jonathan Swift suggested that poor people in Ireland could ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food to the elite. His satirical hyperbole was meant to mock hostile attitudes towards the poor at the time. Not all were amused by his shocking essay back in 1729, least of all the upper class. In response
Unfair Workplace? Time to Flip the Script Read More »
If senior leaders decide that a change must be made, how important is it, really, that employees buy into it? If it’s mandatory, why pretend that employees have a say in it? If the change is truly urgent, why slow things down to gain consensus? If it’s a done deal, why bother offering a rationale? Leading successful change
Costly Missteps that Destroy Trust During Times of Change Read More »
Sarah slams down her tray and sighs as she settles herself across the table from Jerome, her fellow manager, to gulp down a 10-minute lunch, a rare luxury these days. “I am just so fed up with some of our newest team members, I could scream! If they ask me for feedback one more time…”
Can’t we all just get along (with Gen Z) in the workplace)? Read More »
This was my first cross-cultural training workshop for this process control firm that had recently been acquired by two new parent companies, one German and one French. The language classes offered by the company were helpful to a point, but cultural differences were causing insurmountable problems, leading to mutual distrust, project delays, and rapid attrition.
6 Good Reasons to Take Games Seriously at Work Read More »
“Our meetings have gone off the rails. No one seems to know how to rein in the loudmouths or to get the quiet people talking. Pretty much everyone leaves our meetings feeling frustrated, mad and really deflated. We need help!” If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. I get emails and posts like this almost
Stop Letting Bad Behavior Derail Your Next Meeting Read More »
“Hybrid work is here to stay” “CEOs predict full return to the office within 12 months” “Return to office mandates not going as planned” Clickbait headlines like these can be really confusing and in many cases, simply not true. Instead of trying to make sense of pundits’ conflicting predictions about hybrid work, here’s a chance
Real-world Strategies for Winning the Hybrid Game Read More »
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill “No one has ever become poor by giving.” – Anne Frank Each year, members of my (very large, extended) family vow to cut back on holiday gifts. (“Let’s do a Secret Santa! Or “Hey, how about a Yankee Swap?”)
(Free) Gifts that Keep on Giving Year-Round, at Work or Home Read More »
“Hi Nancy, I hope you can help me. We just had to cancel our 2-week-long program kick-off meeting in New York City, and now we have to figure out how to run the whole thing virtually. I’ve been looking all over for someone like you. Can we talk?” Even though I got such emails when
Timeless Tips for Designing and Facilitating Engaging Virtual (or Hybrid) Meetings Read More »
If I ask you whether my presentation that I’ve labored over for weeks was any good, your slight nod after a long hesitation tells me that I pretty much bombed, despite your verbal assurance that “it was fine, really.” I really can’t tell if you are trying to spare my feelings or if you have
Bracing for Giving (and Getting) Difficult Feedback When You Can’t See Eye to Eye Read More »
Every day brings new fires Amy has to put out. Yesterday it was yet another corporate policy calling for mandatory office time, prompting employees to ping her throughout the day. Earlier today, two of her top employees let her know they’re thinking about leaving. And she positively dreads her all-hands meeting tomorrow, when she’ll have
What Today’s Managers Really Need to Succeed in a Hybrid World Read More »
Roger, a newly-hired Chief Development Officer for one of New York’s biggest hospitals, was eager to meet his team. He called an All-Hands meeting for his 65 employees for Monday at 9AM on his first day, with coffee, bagels and fruit set up in the in the executive conference room. His excitement slowly gave way
Before Attempting Big Change, First, Root Out the Dysfunction Read More »
“If you don’t work at the Mothership, you’ll never get ahead. That’s how I see it.” The “Mothership” in this case was the gleaming new HQ building outside of Boston where hundreds of corporate staff members for this growing software company came to work each day. The HQ campus had everything an employee could ever
Why advancement, growth and visibility shouldn’t depend on work location Read More »
This is one of a series of Field Spotlight Communiques where company leaders who are fully immersed in the transformation to hybrid share tips and observations. For this issue, we interviewed two senior leaders. I’ve highlighted some comments that I felt are especially noteworthy. “My manager wants coming into the office to be a ‘pull,’ something people
Expanding and diversifying the talent pool, cultivating connections in a hybrid world Read More »
This article is part of a series of Field Spotlight Communiques where I share tips and observations from company leaders who are fully immersed in the transformation to hybrid, including a wide range of companies and industries, including pharmaceuticals, software companies, nonprofits and engineering firms. “Our company’s motto is: Our purpose is people, workforce and
If you want employees to be more productive, let them choose where to work Read More »
“Why do we have to commute to the office three days a week when we’re doing the same work we were doing from home? I get the feeling our manager doesn’t trust us.” “My employees seem much more productive in the office. I can drop in any time and see how they’re doing and give
Tips for Cultivating a Culture of Trust Across Hybrid Remote Teams Read More »
“My advice for senior leaders who are moving to a hybrid model: Don’t do it in a vacuum. These are decisions that can’t be unilaterally decided in an executive boardroom. Once you’ve made your decisions, don’t underestimate the level of change management required. You need to build your coalitions and communicate ad nauseam. It’s one
“Why did we have to wait until our weekly team meeting to discover that three people couldn’t deliver on time? If we’d known earlier, maybe we could have done something about it. Now we’re looking at a two-week delay, minimum. We have to find a better way to communicate important stuff outside of our team
Practical Steps for Creating a Team Communications Map that Everyone Embraces Read More »
“Let’s go around the room and have everyone share a fun fact.” You cringe as you wait your turn, wondering which fact you can use that: You have not already used the dozens of times someone has asked this same question Is intriguing but not intimate Is interesting but not shocking You’re just glad you
Create a Sense of Community with Questions That Connect Read More »
Let’s face it. Designing and implementing a high-performing hybrid workplace isn’t for the faint of heart. In fact, it can be one of the hardest things a leader will ever do. It can be so confounding that some organizations initially announcing a move to hybrid are backpedaling, despite the almost-certain loss of employees and even
Tips for Creating a Remote-first Workplace to Make Life Easier for Everyone Read More »
In announcing a new hybrid work policy, the senior leaders of this mid-sized financial services company promised that “all people, regardless of work location, will be treated equitably.” All 250+ headquarters employees were offered some degree of flexibility, with the details to be hammered out with supervisors. About one-third of the employees opted to return
Maintaining True Equity in a Virtual/Hybrid World Read More »
“When the dust finally settles…” “As soon as we get back to normal…” When we hear comments like these from our wishful-thinking clients, we tell them that try as they might, there’s no going back. There’s no such thing as “normal” anymore (and we’re pretty sure there won’t ever be anything resembling a static workplace
When There’s No Going Back, Decide How to Move Forward Read More »
“My team has gotten a lot tighter since the start of the pandemic,” my client Zoe recently told me. “Our weekly meetings are super-productive, and we’re constantly Slack-chatting back and forth throughout the week. In fact, since we went remote, we’ve learned more about each other’s lives than we probably ever could have if we
Restoring Lost Connections in a Virtual World Read More »
Have you ever struggled to be heard in a meeting when almost everyone else is sitting together in a conference room, and you and a few others are joining from far away? Or maybe you’ve been sitting around a table trying to have a conversation with people around you, and you have to remember to
Making Asymmetrical Meetings Work for Everyone Read More »
Gone are the days when employers claim that employees should be “just happy to have a job.” If anything, today it’s pretty much the reverse for many organizations: Employers are relieved to find someone willing to accept an open position. This labor shortage is by no means limited to the service industry, where many former
What is “Business as Usual” Costing Your Organization? Read More »
One of my daughters graduated from college this past weekend, and I wanted to celebrate the happy occasion in a big way. (Well, maybe not so big that people would feel uncomfortable being around so many others!) For many of us, this would be the first social gathering we’d be attending since the “before days,” and I
Emerging from a COVID Cocoon Without a Playbook Read More »
Well-meaning people (yes, I am referring to myself here, too!) talk a lot about the need to be more “inclusive” when it comes to important conversations, but how many of us are really living up to our virtuous proclamations? If we were completely honest, I bet most of us would admit we could be doing much
You say you want to be more inclusive? Prove it. Read More »
A remote worker for many years, Julie resigned herself to constantly feeling slighted. Maybe it was because she always seemed to be missing vital information her office colleagues shared during impromptu meetings, or that her name never came up to lead the next big juicy project, or that she was excluded from social activities. Or
Creating a Level Playing Field Across Your Hybrid-Remote Team Read More »
The #1 question I’m asked by leaders and members of virtual teams alike: How can we create a trusting environment when we hardly ever (or never!) meet in person? Teams that span multiple time zones have an even harder go of it, as they have few opportunities for real conversations of any kind. Remote teams
To Build Trust Within Virtual Teams, Psychological Safety Is Everything Read More »
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