Charlie is a charming, highly persuasive marketing executive for a growing technology company. He’s a delight to work with—until you tell him what he’s asking for isn’t possible. Then, his charm rapidly dissipates. On a good day, you’ll get a reptilian smile with, “I’m sure someone with as many years in the business can find…
Personal Effectiveness
No Leadership Title? You Can Still Influence Change
A People Equation reader wrote to ask my advice on the following: Our small company is growing and we need to learn to use organizational tools like spreadsheets more effectively. I’m comfortable using these tools, but many of my peers aren’t. The tools are out of their comfort zone, but once they learn the system,…
Hot Takes on How to Drive Successful Change in Your Organization
I’m reading a gem of a book by Phil Buckley titled, “Change on the Run: 44 Ways to Survive Workplace Uncertainty.” Phil is an author and change management expert. The great thing about his latest book is it’s designed to be read quickly and acted upon immediately. Here are my hot takes on how to…
How Do Leaders Create Continuous Improvement?
I asked my readership, “How do leaders create continuous improvement?” It turns out there are many ways to interpret the meaning of continuous improvement. Read on to learn how Rich Teed, President of LBi Software, works to personally better himself, as well as foster a culture of improvement at his company. The Pathways to Getting…
Colleague in Pain? What Leaders Should – and Shouldn’t – Say
We recently marked the one-year anniversary of the global pandemic’s arrival in our country. One constant for the past 12 months has been this: everyone has suffered. In my conversations with clients, it’s become apparent that leaders are often the frontline defense against the growing workplace mental health crisis that’s consumed our nation. When a…