As a chief executive, it’s difficult to acknowledge deficits in my leadership ability. After all, CEOs are all powerful, impactful, inspiring leaders, … Read more
Inspirational Leadership Doesn’t Matter If You Don’t Fix This Issue
Virtually every leader wants to be inspiring, to motivate, coach, and stir employees’ passions to achieve breakthrough performance. It’s therefore no … Read more
The Misguided Mania for Onsite Work
One only needs to log in to their favorite news and social media platforms to see that many organizations — and their leaders — are struggling with … Read more
The Greatest Myths of Annual Appraisals (Part 3)
This is the third installment in a three-part series debunking common conventions about performance reviews. Myth: Feedback Drives Improved Performance If … Read more
The Greatest Myths of Annual Appraisals (Part 2)
This is the second installment in a three-part series debunking common conventions about performance reviews. Myth: Appraisals Provide Objective and Fair … Read more
The Greatest Myths of Annual Appraisals (Part 1)
This is the first installment in a three-part series debunking common conventions about performance reviews. I’ll come clean: I originally fell for these … Read more
The Problems of Digital Body Language
About two years ago, I started hearing one story after the next, all centering on the same theme: miscommunication. I’d been giving keynote speeches and … Read more
Tech Leaders’ Data-Free Assault on Remote Work
Covid-19 forced employers who had long resisted flexible work — and especially remote work — to embrace it to survive. This was especially true of the tech … Read more
You Might Be Building the Wrong Type of Corporate Culture
When HR executives tell me that they want to improve their corporate culture, they often imagine a workplace where employees are socially connected, people … Read more
Naomi Osaka and Mental Health in the Workplace
On episode 67 of The HR Famous Podcast, longtime HR leaders (and friends) Tim Sackett, Kris Dunn, and Jessica Lee come together to discuss Zoom … Read more
What a Near-Death Experience Teaches About Employee Engagement
Contrary to the old-school mindset that compassion and empathy are better left outside of the office building, if this past year has taught us anything, … Read more
You’re Misusing the Phrase “Disengaged Employees”
Far too many executives throw around the phrase “disengaged employees” without thinking about what it means, or worse, using an incoherent … Read more
Managers Don’t Know What Strategic HR Support They Need
Anyone building an HR dashboard is faced with the problem of what data to put in it. A seemingly reasonable approach is to start by asking managers what … Read more
Inclusion Is Not Someone Else’s Responsibility
Meet Mark Benton. Mark is vice president of talent management and development at the healthcare giant McKesson. As a Black man, Mark has a valuable … Read more
The Collision of a Star Performer and an Employer
It’s a fact that labor and management see the world differently. However, the public is seldom invited to a ringside seat as conflict brews between senior … Read more
The Trap of Forced Inclusion
For 20 years, I was married to someone who struggled with depression, despite years of therapy and in-patient care at psychiatric hospitals. At one point … Read more
Is Your Company a Bad Environment for High Performers?
Whenever a company says, “People are our most important asset,” they usually mean that high performers are their most important asset. After all, high … Read more
The Over-Engineering of Leadership Development
Today, if you make the case that people leaders are the critical focus for organizational success, you will meet with little resistance. This represents a … Read more
What Leadership Looks Like Today
Less than 1 in 5 businesses say existing leaders are “very effective” at meeting business goals. What’s more, 84% of companies predict a shortfall of … Read more
The Next Big Challenge for Training Leaders Is Anxiety
Given the suddenness and severity of the pandemic’s onset, a great many learning and development leaders have performed admirably. From transitioning … Read more