Management

Yesterday, we examined three habits to unlearn in order to lead with greater steadiness and presence during uncertainty. Today, consider three more shifts that further expand your capacity.  Unlearn avoiding conflict; learn to sit with tension. Don’t rush to smooth over disagreement. Structure it. Ask each side to name what the other fears losing. Reflect the shared stakes you hear. Decide only what is ready […]

Leading well in a complex environment requires more than adding new skills. To grow your capacity in uncertain moments, you need to unlearn the habits that limit how you show up. Start with these three shifts.  Unlearn the urge to find quick fixes; learn to pause. Let go of the belief that speed equals strength. When […]

Even the clearest, best company strategy will stall if employees don’t connect with it. To get their buy-in and build real commitment, you need a visual metaphor that brings your strategy to life. Use this three-step roadmap to get started.  Locate the right metaphor. Start by listening. Pay attention to the images and phrases leaders and employees already […]

Managing AI agents requires a new kind of leadership. If you oversee a hybrid human-AI workforce, your role is to orchestrate performance, safety, and alignment with business goals. To do it well, you need six critical capabilities.  Build AI operational literacy. Understand how agents function, how prompts shape outcomes, and how to diagnose failures.  Develop deep functional expertise. Know the […]

Big change initiatives rarely fail because of bad ideas. They fail because adoption stalls. To avoid a false start, you need to prepare your organization before you launch a big change. Focus on these four actions.  Do the awful triage. Your change capacity is finite. If you overload the system, everything slows down. Narrow your agenda, deciding what must happen […]

Adaptability is the leadership skill that will set you apart in today’s job market. Titles and results matter, but what truly differentiates you is how you lead when conditions shift. In your next interview for a senior leader role, make sure you can clearly demonstrate how you adapt under pressure.  Expand your adaptability perspective. Highlight moments that required agility, resilience, […]

AI promises productivity gains, but without guardrails it can quietly intensify work instead of reducing it. As tasks accelerate, expectations rise. People attempt more, juggle more—and struggle to stop. If you don’t deliberately shape how AI is used, you risk increasing your team’s workload, straining their attention, and exhausting them. Here’s how to protect them from AI overload.  Build intentional pauses. As […]

You hired a bold leader to challenge the status quo. But now they’re quieter, more cautious, and deferring to peers. Don’t assume it’s a performance issue; it’s likely a signal that the system around them is pushing back. Here’s how to reset expectations and create the conditions they need to drive change and thrive.  Diagnose what’s really going on. Before intervening, get curious. Ask what feels harder now than […]

Insecure leaders are common in organizations, with insecurity typically driven by anxiety or avoidance. Their behaviors can distort communication, undermine collaboration, and burden teams. Use the 3R framework—regulate, relate, reason—to shift the dynamic and lead the relationship forward.  Regulate. Insecurity distorts thinking. Before offering solutions, help the other person feel safe. Anxious leaders need calm, steady communication; don’t dismiss […]

Integrating AI changes how your team works together. While leaders often focus on tools and automation, the real impact often shows up as declining interpersonal trust, coordination, and decision-making. To avoid this kind of dysfunction, treat AI adoption as a team development effort—not just a tech upgrade—by focusing on psychological safety.   Reframe AI adoption as a learning […]

You have an opening on your team, and the ideal candidate already works inside the company—just not for you. Hiring a standout from another internal team can be smart, but moving too fast can be perceived as poaching or favoritism. Here’s how to sensitively manage the politics of hiring internally.  Start with the organization’s needs. Frame the move around what’s best […]

AI agents are increasingly mediating how customers discover and choose brands—and in response, companies must evaluate which aspects of traditional customer relationships to preserve and which ones to evolve. To prepare for a future where both sides of the customer relationship are increasingly managed by AI, focus on three critical stages of agentic AI adoption.  […]

Gen Z is shaping the future of work with how they use generative AI—and how they feel about it. If you want to lead or manage these younger workers effectively, focus on four key priorities.  Acknowledge AI ambivalence. Even though most young adults use AI regularly, most worry it makes people lazier and less intelligent. They’re not anti-tech—they’re anxious about its […]

You can’t always hand out glamorous projects. When you have to dole out less-desirable assignments, you need buy-in from the people who didn’t choose the work. Instead of relying on persuasion or pressure, focus on helping your team accept the outcome. Start by asking yourself these three questions.  Have I offered any real freedom, however small? People rationalize outcomes more easily when they […]

Receiving tough feedback on your leadership can feel demoralizing—but it’s what you do next that matters. A 360 review won’t result in change unless you turn the feedback into real conversations. Here’s how.  Start with gratitude. Thank your colleagues for their feedback, even if it stung. Acknowledge what you’ve learned and let them know you’ll follow up after reflecting more. Gratitude sets the tone for honest dialogue and signals that you’re taking […]

Implementing AI mandates without also providing support leads to a flood of low-quality output that erodes trust, wastes time, and degrades team morale. As a leader, you can’t eliminate this “workslop” with stricter reviews or harsher feedback; you need to take a systematic approach instead. Here’s how.  Rebuild a culture of trust. Make it safe to admit when AI isn’t helping. Teams that […]

As you become more senior in an organization, visibility isn’t optional—it’s expected. But when your team is doing the hands-on work, how do you talk about your role without taking undue credit or sounding vague? Here’s how to own your contributions with clarity and credibility.  Use “we-then-me” structure. Acknowledge the team first, then describe your own role. This signals collaboration while making […]

Most organizations approach culture change through training and communication, assuming that if you educate people and build their skills, you can expect action. But people’s behavior rarely changes this way. To drive real impact, follow a scientific approach using the “4T” model.  Target a specific behavior. Don’t aim to “improve culture” or “drive innovation.” Choose one high-impact behavior, decision, or outcome—for […]

When you step into a leadership role in an organization you didn’t grow up in, especially one with a strong legacy culture, your challenge is to drive change while simultaneously building trust. Here’s how to do both.  Observe before you act. Legacy cultures are often defined by unspoken norms, insider language, and invisible power structures. Your first priority should be to learn […]

Many employees are worried about how AI will affect their careers. While you can’t offer certainty to mitigate their anxiety, you can give your team honesty, empathy, and clarity. Here’s how to lead anxious employees through the unknown.  Name the fear. Start by normalizing anxiety. Share your own uncertainty and model courage by taking action anyway. Naming fears out loud helps your team feel […]