The most counterintuitive leadership tip? Leaders, stop doing what you’re good at.
Playing to your strengths as a leader doesn’t make you a good boss â in fact, it can make you a bad boss. Here’s why. Of all the leadership tips to be a good manager, “leaning into your strengths” has got to be one of the most frequently cited. “Do what you’re good at. Focus… Read the full article ...
How to prepare for a one-on-one meeting as a manager
The 4 things you should do to make the most out of your next 1-on-1 meeting. Youâre not prepared. Or at least thatâs what employees think when it comes to one-on-one meetings. In a recent survey we conducted of 1,182 managers and 838 employees, we found 36% of employees believe their manager is only âsomewhat… Read the full article ...
The leadership mistake youâre likely making? Being nice.
Why being nice as a leader backfiresâââand what to do instead. Leaders, stop being so nice all the time. I donât mean to sound like an asshole. But when it comes to leadership, itâs true: Prioritizing âbeing niceâ keeps us from being good leaders. Now Iâm not advocating for us to be mean. Disrespectful or dismissive… Read the full article ...
Stop asking these 4 questions during your one-on-one meetings
If youâre wondering why your one-on-one meetings tend to feel unfruitful, these questions might be the culprit. Looking at the clock. Staring into the distance. Short, nondescript answers. A CEO recently told me how heâd frequently see this body language from an employee during their one-on-one meetings. Flat. Disinterested. Preoccupied. It felt lousy to witness, but… Read the full article ...
14 questions to ask an underperforming employee during a one-on-one meeting
When an employee is struggling, hereâs what the best managers do. Someoneâs slipping. You see it. You feel it. Youâre not on the same page. You desperately want to pull the person up, but youâre not sure exactly how. Do you encourage them? Switch them off the project? Change how youâre leading them? Youâre now facing… Read the full article ...
12 signs youâre becoming the bad boss you always dreaded
How to know when youâre no longer being a good manager No one sets out to become a bad boss. Yet, slowly but surely, itâs easy to become the bad manager we all dread. Times are stressful. Youâre trying to make things happen. You notice your team isnât as engaged as they should be. You can… Read the full article ...
The 3 best uses of an effective leaderâs time
What makes a good leader? Look at how you spend your time. Time is the one constant we are all given. No one gets more or less of it than anyone else. As leaders, itâs how we spend our timeâââwhat we choose to prioritize, and what we choose not to do at allâââthat reveals whatâs important… Read the full article ...
How to deliver negative feedback well: The 4 things that good managers do (that bad managers don’t)
A simple framework to help give tough feedback to a coworker. The most common question I get asked by a manager who doesnât want to become a bad boss is: âHow do I give negative feedback to a coworker?â Giving honest feedback is the most deceptively difficult thing for a manager to do. A survey of nearly… Read the full article ...
New managers, hereâs how to run your first team meeting
How to approach your first meeting as a new manager (it doesnât have to be as daunting as it feels!) It happened: Youâre a new manager now. Perhaps, itâs the first time youâre leading a team. Or youâre taking over a new team as a manager. Either way, that first meeting as a new manager is… Read the full article ...
Delegate outcomes, not activities.
When it comes to delegating, invite your team into both the thinking and the doing. Do you consider yourself âa doerâ? That person who enjoys doing the work, fine-tuning the details, meddling in the weeds of how itâll all work? Then you probably have trouble delegating as a leader. I know I do. For so many… Read the full article ...
The most surprising principle of good leadership? Donât be busy.
If youâre busy as a leader, youâre doing it wrong. The best leaders seem to be the busiest. If youâre busy, youâre getting a bunch of stuff done: Youâre tending to your team, youâre making stuff happen. Being busy as a leader is a good characteristicRight? Well, quite the opposite. Being busy as a leader is… Read the full article ...
The 3 Ways Leaders Can Influence Company Culture
 How do you help create the positive workplace culture youâre looking for? Start here. âHow do you actually influence company culture?â This is the big, hairy question I often get asked by CEOs, managers, and employees alike. I recently posed it at the end of the piece, The 3 Key Elements of Company CultureâââAnd Why… Read the full article ...
The 3 Key Elements of Company Culture â And Why They Really Matter
Letâs look past the buzzword and define the key elements of organizational culture. âCultureâ has become the ultimate buzzword these days. Everyone wants to âimprove their company culture.â I see the word frequently littered across the headlines of countless articles, book titles, and conference talk topics. Leaders also seem to talk about it all the… Read the full article ...
The 8 best questions to ask during a one-on-one meeting
What should you put on your next one-on-one meeting agenda? These one-on-one meeting questions should be a part of every managerâs toolkit. That one-on-one meeting is scheduled on your calendar this week. So, what should you talk about? As a manager, executive, or business owner, this is one of the most recurring and perplexing situations… Read the full article ...
The 25 best icebreaker questions for team-building at work
Our most popular get-to-know-you questions for work, based on four years of data. If you winced at the word, âicebreaker,â I donât blame you. Get-to-know-you questions and games tend to feel cheesy. Weâve all been victim to a terribly trite icebreaker with coworkers that made us roll our eyes. I know I have. However reluctantly, you… Read the full article ...
7 ways to prepare for an effective one-on-one meeting with your manager
Got an upcoming one-on-one meeting with your manager? Consider a few of these tips in preparation for it. Many managers say flat-out that their biggest frustration is when employees are not prepared for a one-on-one meeting. Yikes, really? Over the past four years, Iâve heard countless managers, CEOs, and business owners say a version of this… Read the full article ...
8 things leaders of remote companies do differently
If youâre thinking of going remote, hereâs what successful leaders of remote companies do Earlier this month, I spoke with a CEO whoâs looking to transition her company to become remote in the upcoming year. I could tell she was hesitantâââperhaps even nervous about it. Sheâd never run a remote company before. She asked me:… Read the full article ...
The 10 qualities of a good leader
What Iâve observed from effective leaders and tried to keep in mind as a CEO these past few years âThis is somewhat terrifying.â I remember thinking this when I became the CEO of Know Your Team back in January 2014. Sure, Iâd started two companies beforehandâââbut one was with close friends, and the other was by… Read the full article ...
Donât want to be a bad manager? Stop feeding Shit Sandwiches
One of the most popular methods of delivering difficult employee feedback is, well, shit. Hereâs why and what you should do instead I recently ran into a friend who mentioned how she uses the Shit Sandwich to deliver feedback. If youâre not familiar with it, the Shit Sandwich is a technique for delivering feedback popularized by… Read the full article ...
How to have an honest one-on-one meeting with an employee
Here are six ways to get employees talking about what they really feel (and not what they think you want to hear) âI can handle the truth. Iâm pretty tough, Claire.â My CEO at the time told me this during our one-on-one about five or so years ago. The year was ending, and he wanted to know what the… Read the full article ...
Unlock honest feedback from your employees with this one word
Consider using this one word in your next one-on-one meeting A few years ago, a CEO told me how she was struggling to get honest feedback from her board. No one seemed willing to be critical or give her pointers on things she could improve. After every board meeting, she would turn to them and… Read the full article ...
What is company vision? A picture of a better place
The importance of company vision (and how to figure out yours) Earlier this year, I was asked to advise an entrepreneurship class over at the Northwestern Law School here in Chicago. Students pitched business ideas to a panel of mentors, including myself. We were then asked to give feedback on these ideas. The first team of… Read the full article ...
The four questions to ask every single employee for feedback
Based our research, these are the essential employee engagement questions for managers that weâve found to be most effective. Getting good feedback starts with asking a good question. Ask a good question and youâll discover that thereâs a part of the business youâre neglecting, or an issue you werenât aware of. A specific, thoughtful question… Read the full article ...
What to remember when youâre the boss
Donât inadvertently become a bad boss. When youâre the boss, thereâs one important thing you need to remember: youâre the boss. This means that, whether you like it or not, thereâs an inherent power dynamic in every interaction you have with your employees. Youâre the person your employee is least willing to go to about a… Read the full article ...