Posts
Why don't leaders and employees understand each other?
Why do leaders sometimes get it so wrong? Why do policies created with the best of intentions meet with resistance? Why does it seem like leaders and their employees speak different languages? The answer is that employees don’t trust their leaders and don’t feel safe.Read more →
Knowledge: the hidden cost of layoffs
It is a truth universally acknowledged that layoffs suck. They suck for the people laid off. They suck for the people left behind. Layoffs incur huge emotional and monetary costs. And there’s another, more hidden cost to layoffs: knowledge. You might save on salaries, but you lose a lot of learning.Read more →
What does it mean to be authentic?
As a leader and a coach, I’ve struggled with authenticity. “Bring your whole self to work”, they say. But I am large, I contain multitudes. Parts of me only my friends and family will see. Some parts only show up at work. Which me is authentic?Read more →
Authority: the first foundation of an empowered team
Empowered teams have authority. Without authority, there is no empowerment. Authority comes with many rewards for a team, but it's not without challenges.Read more →
The Three A's of Empowered Teams
According to a 2015 study, team empowerment accounts for almost 25% of team performance. Empowered teams are high-performing teams. Here’s what I’ve learnt about growing them.Read more →
Do you need leaders or managers? You need both.
“We need leaders, not managers.” No. You need both. We look to leaders for inspiration. Where does a company go without inspiration? We look to managers for execution. How does a company get there without execution?Read more →
Seeing your organisation as a system
Have you had all the right elements for your team to perform, but didn’t get the results you wanted? Have you tried changing one thing, only for something else to break? I have. I know why. The secret comes from seeing your organisation as a system.Read more →
The hidden story of growth at startups
Why would anyone join an early-stage company? Equity, excitement, "changing the world"? For me, it's about one word: growth. The kind that's rarely mentioned. When people talk about growth in startups, they often mean growth in revenue and headcount.Read more →
Do you know how to delegate?
Delegation isn’t about making your work easier. Delegation isn't a reward. It’s a powerful tool to develop your employees. Yet most managers don’t understand delegation. Are you one of them?Read more →
Are you an expert in your craft, or the system?
In my previous job, I was an expert. I was the first employee. I knew the ins and outs of the system. I helped the company grow. I was often the most senior person in the room. But in truth, I knew nothing. So, I quit.Read more →
Leadership is direction, alignment, and commitment
Can you describe what good leadership looks like? What does it mean for leadership to “happen”? And are you doing it?Read more →
The most important skill? Listening.
When did you last feel truly heard? What impact did that have on you? How did you feel? That’s the feeling I try to bring into every 1:1. And the most important skill I bring to the discussion is listening. But it doesn’t come naturally to many of us.Read more →
Everyone is bad at their job (why strengths matter)
Everyone is bad at their job. Put another way, we have many, many more weaknesses than we have strengths. And that’s okay.Read more →
What you need to know about culture
Culture eats strategy for breakfast. While the truth of that statement is contested, it's clear that culture matters. Your role as a leader is to manage culture. But what is it? It's more than the vibe. It's more than the values. Here's what you need to know.Read more →
Principles for effective coaching
Great managers are great coaches. Great coaches help others develop their potential. Yet most managers have little formal training in coaching. In my roles as manager, leader, and coach, I've come across a few principles that I've found useful.Read more →
Meet the team: a primer on product teams
Let's say you're running a software organisation for the first time. You've got plenty of questions: who does the work? How does work get done? Where does the work come from? And how do you keep your teams aligned? Let's answer these questions.Read more →
Dealing with the voice of perfection
Sometimes, there’s a little voice in my head. It whispers to me whenever I set a goal. It came out when I started a business, it's there when I write, it speaks up when I dare try something new. It says this:Read more →
Four books to guide your career
"What should I read to plan my career?" A friend of mine asked this question recently. While not "career planning-specific", I had a few books on my mind that have guided how I think about my career. Here's what I shared.Read more →
