The holidays are a time when many leaders find themselves scrambling simultaneously to meet year-end business goals and punctuate the season with their staffs. Too frequently, the stress overtakes the joy, and gifts become another obligatory to-do on a never-ending list. But what employees really want doesn’t come in a box or require a bow. […]
Year-end reviews for employees are challenging – even for the most skillful of leaders. The reasons are varied. For instance, the way they’re scheduled in a concentrated fashion forces those with many direct reports to spend weeks on end planning and conducting non-stop conversations. The way they’re structured favors documentation of meaningful dialogue. The way […]
As COVID-19 cases rise and organizations consider how to respond with strategies that prioritize employee health and well-being, we may find ourselves facing new conditions and restrictions. As a result, it seems like the perfect time to open my video vault and share a timely resource for leaders and employees alike. Here’s a short video […]
This post is adapted from “Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Organizations Need and Employees Want.” When it comes to career development, what individual managers do matters. A lot. Their intentions, relationships, and interactions contribute to a tone within the organization. And they can change the lives of those who work for […]
Tom is a mid-level manager in a technology firm. He’s risen quickly because of the volume of work he’s consistently been able to manage. He explains his success like this: “Given the pace of business today, you can’t overthink things. You’ve got to diagnose what’s before you, apply the appropriate fix and move on to […]
If your organization is like most, you’re likely seeing less attention paid to development planning. It’s understandable. Leaders face time challenges like never before. Teams are increasingly distributed across geographies, making connections complex. The general sentiment that employees should own their own development frequently leads managers to a sensibility that’s too hands-off. And self-service/on-demand learning […]