In any conflicted conversation, there may be many different kinds of power present. Classic, hierarchical power is the most easily recognizable. After all, if you can fire someone, affect their compensation, or change their assignments,... Continue reading
During our recent conversation on his LinkedIn Live podcast Change Your Company, host Fouad Alame asked how leaders contribute to or help resolve ongoing conflict at work. That’s such an important question—we usually blame individuals... Continue reading
Empathy continues to be a popular topic partly because of the common assumption that if leaders could only learn to empathize with employees’ and other stakeholders’ situations, they would be more understanding. Then, as the... Continue reading
I’m lucky that none of my direct clients try to “motivate” their team members through fear—or at least, not intentionally. Many employees experience some level of fear just from being part of a power hierarchy... Continue reading
How can you decide when and how to get involved in a work conflict? Even if right is on your side, and you have a high enough level of hierarchical power, two assessments will help... Continue reading
It can be quite startling to recognize how often leaders and other people with authority and status behave ineffectively. Their difficulties can be interpersonal, as when a leader shows favoritism to specific individuals or groups... Continue reading
[Please note: Some examples of profanity are used in this piece.] Have you ever worked in a place where people swear a lot? Sometimes a senior leader has a habit of profanity, or it could... Continue reading
No matter how great your team is, sometimes you’ll need to address them as a group on challenging, uncomfortable topics—which can stress out even experienced leaders. When one of my clients recently asked me for... Continue reading
In an odd coincidence last week, three different clients described the difficulties they’re experiencing because of their dislike for or distress about someone they work with. The circumstances in the three cases were quite different,... Continue reading
Whenever a particular bit of business jargon comes up multiple times in the same week from different clients, I always wonder what ripples are moving through the corporate zeitgeist! Are you hearing about people being... Continue reading
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