Category: Mind

Transparency or TMI? Finding the Right Balance as a Leader

Jennifer, a new manager, is struggling with burnout. Suddenly, she’s responsible not only for her own work but also for the career success, mental health, and happiness of 12 team members. She has a 6-month-old baby at home waking her up several times a night, and perhaps because of the sleeplessness and work stress, things…

Read More

Can You Keep a Secret?

One of your co-workers privately messages you saying he has something to share, ending the message with, “But you can’t tell a soul!” You instantly feel a rush of excitement for being the chosen one and also an intense curiosity for what the secret could be. Later, while having lunch together, he asks again, “Are…

Read More

A Leadership Crisis Is Looming — Here’s How to Prepare

A number of factors underlie the impending leadership gap. First, generational shifts are happening as the current generation of senior leaders retires, taking their skills and institutional knowledge with them. Meanwhile, the pandemic has weakened the pipeline of employees prepared to lead. During the worst years of lockdown, many companies focused on survival, neglecting their…

Read More

5 Common Workplace Conflicts and How to Handle Them

Shortly after joining the team as a new marketing manager, in which she was told she may take on some of her boss’ managerial duties, Maria ran into problems with three other employees. They’d expected a more senior colleague and not a new supervisor. Accustomed to only minor revisions, they bristled at her more hands-on…

Read More

Lots of Companies Use Personality Tests for Hiring Decisions. Here’s Why That Can Backfire.

Maria, a hiring manager, is struggling to decide between two equally qualified candidates. Both have impressive resumes and aced their interviews. In a personality assessment, Jim scored lower than Samantha on “extraversion” and “openness,” two qualities that seem important for the open leadership position. Based on these results, Maria is leaning toward Samantha, but she…

Read More

Congrats, You’re a Manager! Now What?

“Hey, I have some good news. You’ve just been promoted to management! Your work as an individual contributor has been consistently excellent. In appreciation for your commitment and hard work, you’re being promoted. You start tomorrow. Good luck, and we’re all counting on you!” Chances are, if you’ve managed people before, you may have received…

Read More

Why Sensitivity Can Be a Superpower at Work

You see an email from your co-worker pop up asking about a project you’re working on together. While typing your response, you hear a notification go off on your phone, alerting you to a message from your manager about a client. As you make a mental note to get to that later, your phone starts…

Read More

Latest From the Lab: Is Embracing Discomfort Key to Success?

I spent part of July glued to the World Track and Field Championships, featuring the best-in-class athletes running, jumping, or throwing for their countries. Multiple world records were shattered, and I couldn’t help but wonder how athletes are still able to break boundaries and reach new peaks. While I’m no professional athlete, I am a…

Read More

Public Sector Accountability and Inclusion in a Telework World

With a fresh focus on improving performance and increasing inclusion in the public sector, government leaders face more decisions on how to approach telework in a VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) world. While legislation could provide some guidance to leaders of the nation’s 2.1 million federal employees spread across law enforcement, diplomatic functions, education,…

Read More
Loading

Recent Tweets

Sponsored