High performing teams are at the heart of organizational success. Creating and maintaining a high performing team is still elusive for many managers and leaders, in part because organizations often award promotions based on technical skills and tenure and leave the team building to chance. […]
I spoke recently at an executive summit on the subject of organizational resilience. After I’d shared my insights and experiences I gave the audience key prompts and they worked in groups to discuss their organizational resilience. There was a great buzz about the room as we connected the dots between purpose and performance, weaving in emotional intelligence and the ability to spot and act on opportunities to create a picture of what organizational resilience looks like in action. [...]
We work our bodies – we push them to achieve more, to be stronger, faster. Sometimes we are able to do more than we can imagine, especially when we surround ourselves with a great team of trainers, nutritionists, doctors and so on. Not so for our mind. When was the last time you intentionally gave your mind a good workout? […]
What’s your leadership style? In my experience, leaders can fall into two broad camps: transactional leadership and transformational leadership. But before we dig into these two styles, if you’re not sure of your style here’s some actions you can take for more clarity: […]
Barely a week goes by without a headline exposing a corporate culture gone bad. Beloved brands and household names turn out to be hotbeds of bullying, burnout, harassment, unreasonable expectations, blaming and shaming – these cultures are truly toxic. According to MIT research, about one in nine Americans think their workplace is toxic; and toxic work culture is the number-one reason people cite for leaving their jobs. […]
There’s an ongoing and overwhelming burden on black people to drive DEI efforts in organizations. This is part of the problem – not the solution. […]
As Black History Month comes to an end, I wanted to share an important resource for advancing equity and anti-racism in organizations. The Conversation, by social psychologist Dr Robert Livingston, is a guide to jump-starting dialogue on racism and bias, and to ultimately transform well-intentioned statements on diversity into concrete actions. In his book, which is based on decades of research and lived experiences, Dr Livingston advocates for a powerful combination of facts and feelings (empathy) based on the three [...]
Tech is in turmoil but you don’t have to be… It’s been described as a mid-life crisis and a copycat cull, but however you want to understand it, the recent mass layoffs in the tech industry have been alarming to read about and devastating for those experiencing them. Less talked about is the additional pressure now facing those who remain – and in particular the leaders and managers who are charged with delivering ‘business as usual’. […]
The shift from doing to leading is notoriously hard for all executives. Distributing tasks, relinquishing control and putting your trust in your team are all skills you can learn and practice. When I was a project and program manager, I found delegation to be one of the most valuable tools in my toolbox, but it is one that I often see being misused and usually for the same reason. […]
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder big tech made many promises and pledges around diversity, equity and inclusion. Two years later, there’s little evidence of action or the level of sustainable change that we need to see. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 83% of tech executives are white. Business Insider’s research tracking progress in representation in the tech industry post George Floyd found that only 5% of the tech workforce, 3% of executives, and 1% of [...]
