When you hear the phrase “office politics,” what comes to mind? Do you imagine: Favoritism Back-stabbing “Makes me want to run and hide” Cronyism Self-interest It’s not a pretty list, is it? Whenever I talk with people about “office politics” their viewpoints have a negative theme associated with them. These words represent the dark side…
Workplace Issues
Leading a Meeting? Up Your Game by Knowing This Key Point
Meetings at your company aren’t going away. If anything, that much-maligned beast is growing in prominence, thanks to the remnants of the surge of video meetings created by the pandemic. Meeting attendance ranges from a weekly average of 15% when spread across all job types, to upwards of 70% of an executive’s week. So, yeah….
Beyond Your Ears: The Many Ways Leaders Can Listen to Employees
As a leader, you know the importance of listening to employees, be it knowing when to shut up or creating a speak up culture. Leadership listening is an interpersonal endeavor – two people engaged in dialog to achieve mutual understanding. Recently, I encountered the act of listening framed in a broader, more organizational way –…
Workplace Hybrid Configuration or Culture?
Does your workplace have a hybrid configuration or hybrid culture? The Great Place to Work blog offers the distinction and it’s an important one for leaders. A hybrid configuration is one that pays attention to the mechanics of hybrid work models – who works from home, who works on-site and so on. Think, “place and…
How Leaders Can Help Employees “Give It a Rest”
After nearly two years of the grief, trauma and anxiety of living through a pandemic, it’s no surprise that most of us are tired and have brain fog. Many workers report a feeling of languishing and it shows no signs of abating. As of the writing of this post, the omicron variant has hit the…