Flexibility and Adaptability are crucial traits in management — We are often drawn to people we consider Idealists. Those that embrace their core principles. Who put in the time and work towards fighting the (good) fight. Who persevere even if there are major setbacks. In tech, a famous example is Steve Jobs, who was idealistic about user experience. …

We cannot introduce a new culture without first considering how it will work for the people we have — 2020 has been an interesting year for many companies. And 2021 is shaping up to be much of the same. Depending on where you are and what industry you are in, the impact on our work has ranged from losing jobs to working from home for long stretches. Redbubble was…

Personal integrity and personal growth are not always aligned and you have to make choice — Most of us are striving for growth in our careers. We are keen to get that new title, gain new responsibilities, or feel more fulfilled. (There is a massive and interesting piece on Why we want that, but let us leave that aside for now). Early on in our careers…

The wide-ranging impact of scrambling at work — A few years ago I had a young engineer working in my team. He was bright, a quick learner, and made an impact. When an opportunity came up to work for a few weeks in our San Francisco office, we managed to secure a spot for him. …

Change is hard and takes time — We get wiser as we age, because we get different and more varied experiences. And one thing I thoroughly enjoy is that it allows me to crystallise things down to underlying principles. Almost a year ago, I shared my first life principle: Everything requires a balance. Because for every situation…

Group influencing done right — I love it when a single article ‘accidentally’ turns into a mini-series. And since three is a great number, let me add one more piece to the team health collection. So far we have talked about indicators for team health, as well as an approach to influencing change. This article…

Two dimensions of motivation and how they show up in people — Living through a restructure is a fascinating time. Especially if you are into observing people and understanding what drives them. One of the things that often happens in a restructure is the shuffling of folks. Some will end up in different roles. Some in new teams. A few will have…

Influencing done right — In the first part of this mini-series I shared some pitfalls we can encounter as managers — especially when joining a new team: A lot is going on in a managerial role. More responsibilities. More things to keep an eye on. More context switching. The first focus for new managers…

Health indicators when managing and leading a team — A few weeks ago we underwent a significant restructure. We shuffled people around, merged teams, and — unfortunately — let some folks go. But when some doors close, others open, and we were able to give a couple of people their first true management role. Starting in a new role…