Most new leaders who come to us for support have the weight of perfection on their shoulders. I’ve seen so many aspiring leaders frozen in their careers by the perceived expectation of achieving flawless execution, easy and productive feedback conversations, and a team who will not only rally for them but also like them on … Read more
Dear Fringe Community, In a normal year, January would be the time that I talk about being a badass goal-setter and treasuring your mistakes. But this year — as I sit in our now highly militarized capital city on the eve of Inauguration Day — it seems more appropriate to reflect on how we Americans engage with each other as … Read more
Companies spend considerable time and lose up to $35 million each year trying to get feedback on their leaders’ performance and management behaviors. For some, this is part of identifying management issues, improving employee engagement, minimizing turnover rates, or correcting lackluster productivity. For others, it is a proactive effort to deliver feedback for professional development … Read more
To the Fringe community, this month, I wanted to speak directly to you — not about management, or bias, or skill-building, but about the human experience. I’ve never been someone who struggles to fall asleep. Before this year, I could drift off as soon as my head hit the pillow. But I’ve recently found myself … Read more
In case you missed it, the world is a really f*ing stressful place right now. Collectively we’re dealing with a global pandemic, social upheaval, systemic racial violence, an economic downturn, and unrelenting uncertainty about the future. Individually there are also the pains and pressures of personal trauma, sickness, job loss, and canceled celebrations. I imagine … Read more
American politics has given us many examples of inauthentic nonapologies in recent years. Yet Rep. Ted Yoho’s cringe-worthy attempt to apologize to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez offers a fresh reminder of what not to do after calling your co-worker “crazy” and “f—ing bitch” — namely, go through the motions of an apology without an ounce of … Read more
This past December, Fast Company announced that 2020 would be the year of working remotely. Well, the magazine’s editors may be right about that — but not for the reasons they expected. Instead, growing concerns about Covid-19 have prompted many organizations, both global and domestic, to start talking about protocols for sending their workforces home and ways they can maintain … Read more
Remember in January when we set our sights on those shiny goals for a new year and a new decade? Well, welcome to February — the lustre of our ambition has worn off a bit, and (if you’re like me) you may be feeling a bit disheartened about your progress to date. But as with … Read more
Any good business person will tell you that failures are a necessary ingredient of success. They demonstrate ambition to push limits, resilience against setbacks, and the creativity inherent in trial and error. Yet this same principle is rarely applied to the rules of engagement between co-workers. An isolated slip-up of questionable language, for example, can … Read more
Want to know what I’m thankful for this year? Thanksgiving dinner. But it’s not because the food is delicious (although my sweet potatoes are amazing …). It’s because holiday meals are the perfect testing grounds for mediating disputes. Think about it. Mediation, when successful, is simply communicating through conflict with the goal of reaching an … Read more