written by Neal Thornberry
Complex organizations are just that—hard to get your arms around in terms of structures, processes and relationships. Even good intentions can create their own unintended complexities.
The best thing senior management can do is to make the road to innovation clear. If managers haven’t built it, or worse yet haven’t communicated it, they need to do so. Continue reading
by Melissa Janis
One of your employees is under-performing and you want to give him corrective feedback so he can improve. Seems pretty straightforward right?
Not so much. Giving feedback is challenging; perceptions, personalities and preferences can easily get in the way. No matter how artfully you frame comments and suggestions for improvement, your message still can be derailed and potentially even backfire. It’s all too easy for well-intentioned feedback to inflame rather than engage.
So what’s a manager to do? How can you help your employees understand the gap between where they are and where they need to be if you don’t tell them? Continue reading
by Sigal Barsade and Olivia (Mandy) O’Neill
“Love” is a not word you often hear uttered in office hallways or conference rooms. And yet, it has a strong influence on workplace outcomes. The more love co-workers feel at work, the more engaged they are. (Note: Here we’re talking about “companionate love” which is far less intense than romantic love. Companionate love is based on warmth, affection, and connection rather than passion). It may not be surprising that those who perceive greater affection and caring from their colleagues perform better, but few managers focus on building an emotional culture. That’s a mistake. Continue reading
by Suzanne Bates and David Casullo
As every CEO knows, there is an X factor in leadership that is hard to nail down but essential to successful management.
We’ll start with a case example. Steve, the CEO of a company we’ll call ICON, wondered whether the leader of one of ICON’s businesses had that X factor necessary to lead a key strategic initiative for her business, Logistical Systems Advisors (LSA).
The board of directors and executive team had set a new course for LSA to grow by acquisition, and though Jane, the business president, was delivering results, her style chafed some members of the company. Smart, focused and results-driven, Jane’s style had improved product performance and client responsiveness. However, Steve also thought her style might not be collaborative and inclusive enough to ensure successful integrations. Continue reading
by Jessica Stillman
The best leaders spend five times more time teaching with questions than telling people what to do. What’s your ratio?
Think about a leader and chances are your first image is of someone giving orders — maybe it’s the quarterback in a huddle outlining the next play for his teammates, maybe it’s an army officer coolly barking commands in the heat of combat. But chances are, when many of us think of leadership, we picture a person telling others what to do. Continue reading
