Do you have a colleague that irritates you with his “ahs,” “ums” or protracted silences? Leaders are taught that strong orators remove superfluous words and awkward silences from their presentations, so it makes sense that you might take a dim view of these speech patterns. But even though Sam from Accounting might drive you to…
7 Reasons Leaders Should Focus on Developing Employee Soft Skills
Why are we still talking about the importance of leaders developing employee soft skills? Here’s why: the more that automation in all of its forms become part of our daily work lives, the more we need to bring to bear the one thing that a machine will never be: human. And that humanity is most…
Lead Like a Human, Not a Manager
In today’s fast-paced world of business is it possible to bring humanity back to leadership? A new book backed by research and co-authored by a Harvard Business Review contributor aims to answer that question for you. In The Mind of the Leader: How to Lead Yourself, Your People, and Your Organization for Extraordinary Results, authors…
Leadership Tips for Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace
“I asked you here today to let you know where I’ve been for the past month. I was in a mental health facility.” So began a conversation with a colleague that I admired tremendously. His confession surprised me; we had worked on a long-term project together just three months prior. I had no idea he…
Leaders Who Know When to Shut Up Get Better Ideas from the Team
For many years, I worked with a highly effective (and very respected) leader named Jack, who at the time was a senior executive at a large insurance company. After working together on a few corporate projects, Jack asked me to lead a three-day strategic planning session for his team. About two hours into the first…