In these troubling times, a lack of motivation at work might not only affect your employees – it can affect you as a leader, too. Consider these 5 tips. You don’t want to be feeling it, but there it is: A lack of motivation at work. That. You’ve noticed it bubbling up inside of you… Read the full article...

We’re giving away our “Guide to Managing Remote Teams” for free – it’s 60+ pages of best practices for managing remote teams, based on data from 297 remote managers and employees. Sheesh, it’s been quite the week, hasn’t it? I’ve gotten numerous questions about managing remote teams, as more folks are transitioning to work from… Read the full article...

As author, feedback coach, and speaker, Anna shared her expertise and lessons in giving feedback in our leadership community, The Watercooler. Every month, we invite one of the 1,000+ managers who are a part of our leadership community in Know Your Team, The Watercooler, from all over the world to participate in an “Ask Me… Read the full article...

Daily stand-up meetings might be the quickest way to waste your time as a leader. Here’s why a daily stand-up meeting doesn’t work and what to do instead. “Is this daily stand-up meeting over yet?” The meeting is only 8 minutes in and no one has uttered those words outright…. but they don’t need to.… Read the full article...

If you’re a new manager, focus on these 3 tips for new managers and nothing else. “Help! I’m a new manager and have so much going on… Can you give me some tips for new managers?” A version of this sentiment is expressed to me at least several times a day. I share this not… Read the full article...

Micromanage less and coach employees more by asking these key 1-on-1 meeting questions. The key to coaching employees lies in a single, straightforward choice: The 1-on-1 meeting questions you choose to ask. You may be raising an eyebrow at this. Surely, you’ve heard enough hype about how “you need to be holding one-on-ones as a… Read the full article...

From our 1,000+ managers all over the world in our Watercooler community, here are 4 valuable management lessons that I’ve personally learned already this year. Management lessons are everywhere. You can read them in books, listen to them on podcasts, and hear them live during conference talks. Don’t get me wrong, these are all great… Read the full article...

If you’re a new manager, here are the exact 1-on-1 meeting questions, agenda template, and approach you can take for your first 1:1 meeting with an employee. If there’s anything you should be supremely focused on as a new manager, it’s your first 1-on-1 meeting with an employee. That first encounter might seem like a… Read the full article...

As the co-founder of Shield GEO, a global employment organization that helps companies who want to hire someone in a country where they are unable to employ them directly, Tim shared his expertise and international employment lessons in our leadership community, The Watercooler. Every month, we invite one of the 1,000+ managers who are a… Read the full article...

Someone put in their resignation notice. Hoo boy. Here’s how to conduct an exit interview that is useful, graceful, and candid. “How to conduct an exit interview?” I recently was asked this by an executive who is a 1:1 leadership coaching client of mine. He’d become the CEO of his company only a month ago,… Read the full article...

From 1,000+ managers all over the world in our Watercooler community, here are the 10 most impactful lessons on leadership that I’ve learned in 2019. When it comes to lessons on leadership, always be learning. This is my motto as Operations Manager here at Know Your Team. Prior to joining the KYT Team in June… Read the full article...

Show your boss you want to grow in your current role by asking these three career path questions to help them help you achieve success. You’ve got your end of the year one-on-one meeting coming up. Asking the right career path questions shows your management team that you are serious about your current role in… Read the full article...

You’re bound to make mistakes as a new manager – but here are the biggest, most common pitfalls to avoid in your first 30 days as a new manager. I’ve never quite known the proper word to describe the feeling of being simultaneously elated and terrified — but your first 30 days as a new manager is… Read the full article...

What should you do for your end-of-the-year review with an employee? Use this one-on-one meeting template. With December upon us (already!), many managers have been asking me if I have a one-on-one meeting template for their end-of-the-year review with a direct report. Yes, I do have one 🙂 The end of the year is an… Read the full article...

As the CEO and Founder of FlexJobs, the leading service for professional remote and flexible job opportunities, Sara shared her expertise and remote work lessons in our leadership community, The Watercooler.  Every few months, we invite one of the 1,000+ managers who are a part of our leadership community, The Watercooler, from all over the… Read the full article...

Over the past 2.5 years, I’ve interviewed 49 leaders for our podcast on leadership, The Heartbeat. These are the leadership lessons that have influenced me the most, personally. “What are the biggest leadership lessons you’ve learned from others, that have changed or affected your own management style?” No one had ever asked me this question before –… Read the full article...

As a new manager, what the things you should expect of yourself? Start with these foundational five expectations of a good manager, here. What are the expectations of a good manager? If you’re new in your leadership role, this may be a question you’re contemplating. After all, you can only be as good as what… Read the full article...

Figuring out how to phrase something can be tricky. Lean on these 28 performance review phrases to guide your more nuanced one-on-one conversations. As the year begins to wind down (I know, I can’t believe it’s late October already!), a question I often get asked is: “Are there certain, handy performance review phrases that I… Read the full article...

Finding a mentor won’t save you, as a new manager. But, something else might. “The key to becoming a better leader is to go find a mentor who’ll help you build your career and guide you…” How many Linkedin articles do you think espouse something like that? Too many for my liking. Because, frankly, it’s… Read the full article...

From our 1,000+ managers all over the world in our Watercooler community, here are the 3 most helpful lessons on leadership that I’ve personally learned recently. Lessons on leadership are typically learned the hard way. You make the mistake of hiring the wrong person, you wait too long to let someone go, or don’t give… Read the full article...

Don’t waste your time. Make sure you’re getting the most out of your one-on-one meetings with your direct reports.  You’re feeling good: You’ve started to hold regular one-on-one meetings with direct reports. But have you paused to ask yourself, lately, “Am I making the most of them?” The question is worth asking. One-on-one meetings with… Read the full article...

The best employees are the ones who manage themselves. How do you optimize for this? Here are the 4 self-management skills to hire for and develop internally within your team. The best team members you’ve ever worked with likely had one thing in common:  Strong self-management skills. As a manager, you don’t want to be… Read the full article...

If you manage other managers, holding skip-level one-on-one meetings with their direct reports is paramount. Here’s how to do ’em. If you’re a manager of managers, skip-level meetings are your lifeline. I don’t mean to sound bombastic, but if you’re a CEO, executive, or director who manages other managers — then skip-level meetings are an essential way… Read the full article...

As the CFO for Balsamiq, a remote software company whose product is used by 500,000+ companies, Natalie shared her expertise and leadership lessons in our leadership community, The Watercooler. Every few months, we invite one of the 1,000+ managers who are a part of our leadership community, The Watercooler, from all over the world to… Read the full article...

When you start a new job, your goal is to make a good impression. Here are 8 ways to impress your new boss in the first 30 days. If you’re looking to impress your new boss, I may have a few good insights for you. Recently, I was hired at Know Your Team, and –… Read the full article...

A perfect time to give feedback doesn’t exist – but some times are better than others. In deciding when to give feedback to a direct report, consider these 4 things. “When is the right time to give feedback to an employee?” A manager asked me this last week during a workshop I gave at the… Read the full article...

Do this instead. Here are 6 ways to motivate your team that doesn’t undermine intrinsic employee motivation that they already have. “I need to figure out how to motivate my employees.” When was the last time thought that to yourself? It could’ve been the other week when you noticed one of your direct reports dragging… Read the full article...

You’re giving feedback because you want your team to improve. Here’s how to give feedback that precisely helps nudge your team in the right direction. The reason you’re giving feedback is that you want something to be different, in the first place. You want a direct report to make sure he’s not rubbing the rest… Read the full article...

Based on research from almost 400 people and insights from 1,000+ managers, here are the processes and tools to collaborate effectively in a remote team. “How do you collaborate effectively if your team is remote?” Dame Stephanie “Steve” Shirley, a famed British technology pioneer answered this question at the Business of Software Conference in Cambridge,… Read the full article...

5 not-so-often-shared ways to manage up and have a better relationship with your boss...