Talk to your employees about why upward feedback is important and explain that you want to receive honest input from them. As your employees’ leader, it’s important that you hear honest feedback from them about your performance. After all, they’re the ones who see you in action every day and know how you’re really doing. … Read more
Emotions often get a bad rap in the workplace. How many times have you been told to “leave your emotions out” of a decision or meeting? But when it comes to goal-setting — a critical part of any professional development plan — they’re actually one of our most powerful tools. That’s because goals are only … Read more
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
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
You may have thought it was Siri or Alexa, but it’s actually the human brain that wins the top spot for its ability to see and anticipate patterns. Yet like any good algorithm-generator, the accuracy of the brain’s predictions depends heavily on the accuracy of the underlying data. The powerhouse that is human decision-making becomes … Read more
Article originally published in Forbes, December 2019 As a communications coach, I’m a staunch supporter of companies having a robust professional development curriculum. Yet even I will agree that corporate training on inclusivity and unconscious bias have their pitfalls and limitations if employees don’t — and aren’t expected to — practice what they learn when their decisions … Read more
Welcome to 2019, friends! I hope you had a chance to celebrate and recharge the past few weeks — the year ahead is bound to be as busy as ever. If you’re like me, you’ve already set out to conquer your New Year’s Resolutions. Unfortunately, the odds are that all but 8 percent of us … Read more