Blog.
Insights and commentary on organizational behavior and project management.
Why Your Technical Prowess is Not Enough
Many of the leaders I work with start their careers in technical fields like medicine, computer science, engineering, and accounting. Nearly every one of them faces the reality in our work together that their technical knowledge is not enough. Those who are successful grow through that realization. Those who cling to the notion that their […]
What Can Ikea Furniture Teach Us?
For many, the idea of assembling IKEA furniture is anxiety-inducing (though I’ve met two individuals who love it). But, what lessons can we apply to other areas of our lives? Let’s take, for example, the rule of three. When we learn something new, we are generally proficient after three practice runs. I had the opportunity […]
The Avocado Predicament
Sometimes, I work with leaders who are hyper-focused on avoiding loss at all costs. They believe resources are limited and that their job is to conserve them. As a result, they see fewer opportunities, take fewer risks, and are far less successful, both personally and professionally. Consequently, their organizations suffer. Recently, I was in Oaxaca, […]
The Uncomfortable Truth: What Are You Communicating When Someone Speaks Up?
Successful leaders create a safe environment where it’s okay for people to come forward and voice uncomfortable opinions. Organizations with a fear-based culture have leaders who model behavior that indicates it’s not okay to bring forward unpopular ideas. I was consulting for an organization once and noticed they were exposed to physical and psychological safety […]
Feedback is the Key
Nearly every business since the dawn of time: “Okay, listen up team! We’ve determined our values to be honesty, integrity, hard work, and compassion. We’ve sent out memos and posted them on the lunchroom bulletin board.” “So it’s settled, we’re all going to live by these now, okay? Good. Done. Problem solved.” This is satire, […]
Draining Moments
Recently during a team meeting, I heard a bummer story about a junior architect whose motivation and engagement levels at work vanished, seemingly overnight. In the beginning, Aaron would show up to meetings engaged and ready to contribute ideas. However, his superior, the senior architect on the project, did not honour or encourage this behaviour. […]
Leadership Techniques
Meet Paulina. Paulina hates her job. Paulina’s working from home one day and clocks into her Teams account at 8:15. She was supposed to start at 8, and her manager sends her a snarky message asking why she’s late. Paulina responds in kind with an equally snarky rebuttal, and then puts the chat on silent. […]
Toxic Workplace
A poor culture can destroy your organization and the well-being of everyone that works within it. Here are 7 signs you might be dealing with a toxic culture. 1. A collective low self-esteem If people often jump into a heightened or anxious state, operating with defensiveness or aggression, this could be a sign you have […]