Category: General
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How to manage a team (four key concepts)
Many new leaders wonder how to manage a team. It requires a unique set of skills, patience, and charisma, and it’s not for everyone. In my short career I’ve led teams in multiple ways; however, while I haven’t led a formal team in the workplace, I have seen firsthand how my own manager leads the…
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The What vs. The How
I covered the concept of the “what” and the “how” of work long ago in my review of The Pursuit of Something Better. In the book, U.S. Cellular is going through a dramatic culture change, and a large aspect of that is the shifting mindset from focusing on the “what” to focusing on the “how.”…
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3 HR and Recruiting Tools I’ve Used Lately
In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been bombarded at work lately (hence the low number of posts!). Some of that busyness is driven by projects I’m working on (recruiting, baby!). Other parts of it are self-imposed, because once I have an idea I have a hard time letting it go. The good part for you,…
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The right people in the right seats
We talk often about having the right people in the right seats. However, the step that is commonly skipped in that metaphor is what to do with the incumbent workforce. In this guest post for my buddy Glenn at the Young CXO blog, I talk about the three options for making talent fit a priority. Check…
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Managing performance at work
When it comes to managing performance at work, a lot of people cringe. Managers think employee appraisals are a waste of time. Employees rarely get the proper feedback and guidance from their supervisors. And HR, well, we are the ones who are supposed to make those two unwilling parties play nice so we can “get…
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Performance Review Process Horror Stories
I know I can’t be the only one who has seen a performance review process go horribly wrong. Sometimes it’s laughable, yet other times it is frustrating to be caught in the midst of a broken system. Check out the video below to hear about the time I had a “secret” review as a wrestling…
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Mike Durant’s Principles of Leadership
If you don’t know who Mike Durant is, you are missing out on an amazing story. He is the pilot of Super Six Four, the Black Hawk helicopter that was shot down in Somalia in 1993. He was captured by the enemy, put through a horrible experience, and lived to tell the tale. But that…