Blog

In this space, we want to share our ideas, reflections, and research on topics that are on every leader’s mind. Join us in this journey of self-betterment as we shine a light on individual and team dynamics, organizational structures, and practices that can help companies thrive!

In addition to our thoughts, we’d also like to give you some practical tips, guides, and frameworks that you can tailor to the specific needs of your organization. You can read our series Attracting, Hiring, and Keeping Great People or download our white papers on our Resources page!

When Do Vision, Mission, and Values Boldly Fail?

When strongly supported, Vision, Mission, and Values can be accelerators of business success. However, these inspirational statements and guideposts can also steer a company off-track.

Management: Sailing on the Sea of Context — Part One

To be an effective manager, we have to know what context is and how it works in our heads. Here we explore the meaning of context and its importance for management.

Hiring a Player/Coach and Avoiding Disappointment

Many founders can’t hire a team for every area of the company and hope to find a player/coach, a magical person who can take over different departments as they grow. Here’s how to avoid disappointment when hiring one.

Diversity & Inclusion: A Recruiting Conversation with Sarah Noyes

To get past the Diversity & Inclusion aspiration, leaders need to be intentional in building organizations that can leverage everyone’s uniqueness and talents.

Vanessa Druskat's Team Emotional Intelligence Model: A Guide to Connection & Higher Performance

What makes a group of talented people a trusting, high-performing team? What norms would allow them to self-manage? These are some of the questions Vanessa Druskat answers through her Team Emotional Intelligence Model.

Leadership Storytelling: The Fine Line Between Motivation and Manipulation

Storytelling is a tool leaders use to help employees connect to their work, help people coordinate together, and build the future of the company. However, they can also use it in manipulative or abusive ways.

Grace Under Fire: How to Handle Departures to Build Team Confidence

Departures are inevitable. As managers, how gracefully we handle someone leaving the organization determines how effective the rest of the team will be and how much they will trust us.

Culture Interviews: Why We Should Focus On People's Work Personality

Culture interviews tend to focus more on skills, experience, and other non-behavioral characteristics than on how candidates go about their work. Here’s the importance of learning about people’s “work personality.”

Your Job Descriptions Suck—Job Scorecards Are a Way to Fix Them

To get applicants excited about working with you, don’t tell them about the work they’ll be doing. Instead, describe the outcomes they’ll achieve. Here’s how to do it with job scorecards.

Job Scorecards: An Easy Onboarding and Development Plan for New Hires

Job scorecards are useful beyond job posting and interviewing candidates. They make onboarding easier and can even become a development plan for the newly hired, resulting in a bigger impact and greater confidence.

Blame, the Losing Dance

CEO roles are hard to do well. Like any dance, it requires all participants to be in sync but especially requires the lead to pay attention to how their leadership is being received.

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