Psychology. Leaders & Teams. Technology
Today, the Gen X executive in the digital era faces a lot of challenges, many of which were literally unimaginable when they entered the workforce in the early 1990s. The pressure to manage the ever-expanding suite of social media platforms can itself be overwhelming. But, as daunting as it is, I reassure many who I…
Generation X executives may struggle more with first-time management challenges than any generation before them. Baby Boomers have also wrestled with the needs of an intergenerational workforce, globalisation of the economy and the digital era. But understanding the needs of a global workforce have become increasingly complex. To recruit and retain a more diverse and…
Need a supply of talent? If it’s time to hire, it’s already too late. The movie Glengarry, Glen Ross famously features a scene where Alec Baldwin lectures a room of salesmen on how to convince prospective investors to buy the real estate they’re pushing. “A-B-C!” he screams at them. “Always be closing!” His point, of…
One of the challenges of initiatives regarding promotion of women in the workplace is that it can feel like a chicken and egg problem. Studies show that women in positions of power are more likely than men to hire and promote other women. And there are obvious reasons for women to mentor women. And in…
Second in a two-part series. This is the second of two posts about how to use 360-degree feedback. Last time we discussed why this method of assessing performance is problematic. This time: better ways of using 360-degree feedback effectively in individual business relationships. Everyone has been at a music concert, or listening to a lecture,…
First in a two-part series. This is the first of two posts about 360-degree feedback in performance evaluations. This week we discuss why this method of assessing performance is problematic. Next time: better ways to use this feedback to improve individual business relationships. Someone asked me recently about performance evaluations, specifically, whether 360-degree feedback in…
The other day, a friend of mine told me about a new employee at her office. The woman on first glance was just another twenty-something new hire with what my friend called “appropriate business look”. Apparently the woman had an unremarkable hairstyle in a natural-looking colour (“no streaks of purple or green”), simple jewelry (“only…
I’ve been asked more and more frequently how managers can be sure they are being sensitive and inclusive. In almost all cases, I get the question from well-meaning, but fairly stressed executives, often men, usually in their late 40s to early 50s. They have teams that include women, LGBT members, and international employees. ‘ While…
I was recently asked to give advice to a professional that was really struggling with the best way to succeed in a divided workplace. She asked: “At my job, you can tell that employees are divided in many ways. I’m not the type of person to fall into groups because it’s what everyone expects or…
Jeff Bezos is, at the time of this writing, the wealthiest person in the world. Born in 1964, Bezos is on the cusp of Baby Boomers and Gen X. Some say Gen X started a year or two later, so you can find whichever definition you want to claim him or not. But you can’t…