It was said during a meeting in which someone had stormed out of the room in anger just moments earlier. The familiar pattern of interpretation immediately took hold in the room: unprofessional, completely unacceptable, he [...]
For many leaders, micromanagement feels like a noble pursuit of perfection. Some don’t realise they’re doing it. Others do realise, but simply can’t help themselves. Micromanagement often stems from a sense of commitment, responsibility or [...]
‘Sorry, it took longer than expected’... and just like that, your half-hour becomes a quarter of an hour. Someone has carefully prepared for an important meeting with their manager. After some back-and-forth scheduling, they manage [...]
Some working relationships constantly put you on the defensive. And that’s no coincidence. I once worked with a manager who made me feel constantly on the defensive. It was as if I was already 1-0 [...]
A saying that has always stayed with me: If you take a single drop from the North Sea and analyse it, you will know the composition of the entire sea. That idea is surprisingly applicable [...]
There’s a fancy restaurant in my village where one issue keeps cropping up in virtually every review, year after year. The picture is consistently the same: the food is excellent. The service is consistently substandard. [...]
A leader makes people feel safe. A boss makes people feel insecure. It sounds simple, but in practice you see how often things go wrong. I speak to many people who feel stuck in their [...]
You know how it is: that one negative team member who affects the whole atmosphere? The one who sighs deeply and loudly at everything, or responds to most things with a critical remark or look? [...]
“Has this been discussed in the MT?” “Are you going to bring this up in the MT?” “Has a decision already been made about this in the MT?” When I was a manager and part [...]
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” It sounds reasonable, almost caring. And yet, this is where it goes wrong. At first glance, it seems like an apology. But if you listen closely, you’ll hear that [...]
