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by Tony Martignetti

Curiosity isn’t just a valuable personality trait—it’s a leadership superpower. In a business environment where innovation dictates success, curiosity serves as the catalyst for breakthroughs and industry reinvention. Yet, despite its transformative potential, curiosity remains one of the most undervalued tools in leadership today.

The best leaders don’t just seek answers; they reframe problems. Instead of asking, “How do we fix this?” they ask, “What if we reimagine this entirely?” Leaders who embrace this mindset uncover opportunities for reinvention that others overlook because they only focus on immediate challenges.

Curiosity Begins with Observation 

In the world of art and design, curiosity begins with observation. Georgia O’Keeffe once remarked, “Nobody sees a flower, really. It is so small we haven’t time, and to see takes time.”

Her words offer a lesson for leaders: True insight comes from taking the time to observe and understand what others overlook. The design thinking process mirrors this ethos, emphasizing empathy, iteration, and a willingness to embrace failure. Leaders who adopt these principles uncover unmet needs and rethink stagnant paradigms.

For instance, I once worked with a biotech executive who revitalized their R&D team with a single question: “What are we missing in the data that could change the trajectory of our discovery?”

This curiosity-fueled inquiry led to a cross-disciplinary exploration, resulting in a groundbreaking treatment that shifted the company’s competitive position. Continue reading →

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by Melody Wilding

Have you ever been on the receiving end of vague feedback? Maybe your manager has said that “you need to be more strategic.” Or perhaps they’ve mentioned that they want to see you “deepen your knowledge of the business” or that they wish your direct report was more of a “team player.” On the one hand, you may appreciate hearing their take, but on the other hand, you might feel frustrated that their guidance isn’t actionable or clear. Without specifics or concrete examples, you’re left guessing what success looks like and at a loss for exactly what to change.

This happened to Maya, Managing Editor at a media company, who was trying to parse through her latest performance review. During the session, her boss had said, “Everything seems to be on track, but keep pushing for innovation.” On the surface, this sounded somewhat encouraging, but as someone responsible for shaping coverage and developing talent, Maya needed more specifics. Was she driving the right long-term priorities? Were there unspoken concerns she should be addressing?

The higher you advance, the more common this kind of ambiguity becomes. The executives, board members, or clients you report to are often busy, and the feedback they give tends to focus on softer, more subjective qualities. Things like “acting as a thought partner,” “motivating through vision,” and “driving alignment” are often hard to define and even harder to measure. In an ideal world, feedback on these behaviors would be delivered with precision and in a way that’s immediately useful. But the leaders you work closely with, like all of us, are imperfect humans operating in imperfect conditions. Your boss may be overwhelmed, an abstract thinker who struggles getting down to the nitty-gritty details, or someone who simply never received training.

Nevertheless, you can’t afford to let vague feedback slide, because the impact doesn’t stop with you. The lack of clarity trickles down to affect your team’s priorities, slows decision-making, and creates confusion across the organization. Translating vague input into actionable insight is a skill. Here’s how to get the direction you need from your manager. Continue reading →

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by Peter Economy

Every leader should adopt these seven habits to go from good to great.

I have long said that great leaders aren’t born, they’re made. Through the course of their careers, leaders have the opportunity to learn and develop the kinds of positive habits that have the power to propel their teams toward exceptional accomplishments.

1. Inspiration: The catalyst for greatness

Setting ambitious standards that your teams can realistically achieve through adequate support and essential resources will inspire your people to greatness. When you couple this move with empowerment, you enable your teams to reach their objectives while building a strong sense of purpose and accomplishment. The interplay between vision, support, and empowerment creates the foundation of true greatness.

2. Optimism: The engine of motivation

Exceptional leaders generate positive energy all around them. Their communication skills express helpfulness and a true interest in their team’s welfare. Their talent lies in discovering solutions and generating hope during difficult situations. They build cooperative environments by avoiding negativity and ensuring that everyone on the team feels respected.

3. Accountability: The cornerstone of trust

The most highly effective leaders take responsibility for their setbacks as well as their triumphs. These leaders enforce personal responsibility as well as team accountability through regular performance checks and positive feedback sessions. Make it a habit to publicly honor victories while privately tackling difficulties to find solutions that promote team growth. When you model accountability, and demand it in others, this habit creates trust and builds team cohesion.

4. Confidence: The bedrock of influence

Great leaders exude confidence, not arrogance. Their confidence spreads naturally among others and creates a trusting and secure environment. They embrace challenges with confidence because of their solid knowledge base. At the same time, they maintain their humility by quickly recognizing their mistakes and taking action to correct them. A strong combination of conviction and humility is essential for successful leadership.

5. Empathy: The heart of connection

The best leaders understand the power of empathy. They make it safe to fail, and they assist their employees during difficult times by concentrating on finding solutions instead of finding faults. When you adopt empathy as a habit, you will inevitably generate a secure and supportive atmosphere where people experience appreciation and respect while performing at their very best.

6. Decisiveness: The art of timely action

The job of every leader is to make decisions, and sometimes these decisions are very difficult ones. The most effective leaders recognize the seriousness of their decisions and take immediate action when necessary. They weigh decisiveness and teamwork to determine the appropriate moments for collaboration and when to make independent choices that benefit the organization. Navigating complex situations requires leaders to combine decisiveness with inclusivity, which is essential.

7. Honesty: The foundation of leadership is integrity

By openly sharing information and steering clear of manipulative behavior, the most highly effective leaders gain both the trust and respect of their team. Leaders, and the organizations for which they work, must maintain a dedication to honesty to stand out from the competition in a sea of sameness.

Source: Inc.com 

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by Marcel Schwantes

Vision, planning, and strategy matter. But so does taking care of your people.

Great leadership isn’t just about strategy, vision, or achieving KPIs. It’s also about understanding and meeting the diverse needs of your team. The best leaders I’ve seen excel in navigating these complexities—and they’re also keenly aware of what not to do.

Previously, I covered seven common leadership mistakes that disengage employees and drain their enthusiasm. Now, let’s explore five more leadership blunders to avoid—culled from 360-degree surveys, interviews with hundreds of employees and leaders, and leadership research.

1. Squashing Your Employees’ Talents

Not recognizing and leveraging your team’s unique strengths is a surefire way to crush morale. People want to use their talents, not just fulfill job descriptions. The best leaders get close enough to their employees to discover their strengths and then free them to use those talents.

Actionable Tip: Have regular one-on-one check-ins with your employees to understand what energizes them and how they can best contribute. This builds engagement and trust.

2. Withholding Information

One of the quickest ways to lose trust as a leader is to hoard information. Why do leaders do it? It’s about control. However, control through secrecy erodes trust and stifles collaboration.

Actionable Tip: Practice transparency. Share as much information as possible with your team to foster a culture of trust and open communication.

3. Being a Controlling Micromanager

Micromanagement also stems from the desire for control, but here’s the truth: it backfires. People who feel micromanaged report low creativity, minimal collaboration, and little emotional safety. Though often well-meaning, micromanagers miss the bigger picture of leadership—empowering others to excel.

Actionable Tip: Shift from managing tasks to managing outcomes. Set clear goals and then give your team the autonomy to meet them.

4. Always Needing the Last Word

Leaders who must always have the last word or be “right” exhibit low emotional intelligence. When this happens, team members become passive and disengaged because their input isn’t valued, especially in times of crisis or change when collaboration is crucial.

Actionable Tip: Build a culture of listening. Seek input from your team and let them know their voices matter, especially during tough decisions.

5. Not Being Available

While high-level strategy meetings with other managers and executives can be necessary for planning and delivering business outcomes, filling your calendar with them at the expense of face-to-face time with employees sends the wrong message. When you go MIA, employees may feel undervalued or like their concerns aren’t important.

Actionable Tip: Create blocks of time for one-on-one meetings or open office hours where team members can ask questions, seek guidance, or just check in. It signals that you’re approachable and invested in their success.

Final Thought

Avoiding these leadership pitfalls won’t just make you a better boss—it’ll create a workplace where employees feel empowered, engaged, and eager to contribute. And that’s when your team will start hitting new levels of performance.

Source: Inc

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    By: Jill Barth

Middle managers have become the unsung heroes of the workplace after steering the ship through the disruption of the pandemic and the culture changes brought on by shifts in remote work. However, HR leaders must be aware that they are increasingly becoming the most vulnerable workforce population. Far from the glamorous leadership roles portrayed in corporate narratives, today’s managers are navigating an unprecedented scene of challenges that threaten their professional effectiveness—and their very wellbeing.

Middle managers and workplace dynamics

Mike Dolen, CEO of manager support platform Humancore and former HR executive at Home Depot and IBM, warns of a looming crisis in middle management burnout. He points to companies flattening hierarchies during layoffs, which leaves middle managers with fewer peers, increased workloads and greater pressure to perform.

Recent research in LinkedIn’s Work Change Report: AI is Coming to Work provides insights into what business leaders want from their workforce. The report reveals that 80% of C-suite executives believe AI will kickstart a culture shift where teams are more innovative. However, the blend of AI and human skills is a key marker of adaptability and growth, yet remains hard to find, according to LinkedIn.

Global HR leaders struggle to source management-level talent with the right mix of technical and soft skills. This technological revolution is expected to reshape how managers operate, adding layers of complexity to their already challenging roles.

The ‘manager’s dilemma’

The AI-driven transformation of work has been swift, says Dolen. Technological disruption has converged with pandemic-induced restructuring and rapidly changing workforce expectations to create a perfect storm for middle management. Dolen describes this phenomenon as a “manager’s dilemma.”

The numbers tell a stark story of increasing complexity. In a July 2024 Gartner survey of 805 HR leaders, 75% said managers are overwhelmed by expanding responsibilities, and 69% noted that managers are not equipped to lead change. This compression creates a strain on managers who are expected to do more with less.

Meanwhile, Dolen says, the role of a manager has expanded beyond traditional oversight responsibilities. Today’s middle managers are expected to be mental health supporters, career coaches, cultural architects and change management experts, he says.

In many organizations, Dolen adds, managers also must simultaneously navigate hybrid work environments, bridge generational workplace differences and maintain team productivity. Continue reading →