Author: Steve
-
Value Your Leadership Instincts
You’re not sure why, but something just feels off. The migration plan feels risky. The code doesn’t look right. Someone’s explanation for their behavior seems … less than truthful. For much of my career, when I faced scenarios like these, I tended to be “nice.” If I wasn’t sure there was a problem, I would…
-
Preservation and Ruin in the Workplace
My son and I are working together to co-author novels in the science fiction and fantasy genres. Part of my personal journey of skill development has been to spend a lot more time reading science fiction and fantasy. I noticed that one of the themes from Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series parallels quite nicely with one…
-
“No” doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea
If your business can invest $10,000 today in a venture that will earn you $20,000 in six months, should you make that investment? A senior leader where I worked once asked that question. Many people voted “Yes!” But the correct answer is … there’s not enough information to know. What are the consequences of losing…
-
Entitlement vs. Agency
In the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, young Charlie Buckets hopes for a rare golden ticket as he opens his chocolate bar. He says, “I’ve got the same chance as anybody else, haven’t I?” Grandpa Joe responds with something that irks me. He says, “You’ve got more, Charlie, because you want it…
-
The fatal seduction of “authenticity”
Someone recently asked in an online community whether someone’s refusal to lie – even by omission – could hinder their ability to succeed as a manager. The wording of the question rattled me. I’m a firm believer in truth and authenticity. In a coaching exercise to help me uncover my personal core values, the two…
-
Inviting Brutal Criticism
“Steve, your idea is not half-baked. It’s already overcooked.” That was the response I got when sharing a proposal that I thought was not yet ready for feedback. I hadn’t yet polished up every corner and figured out an answer to every possible objection. I didn’t realize that the fundamental structure of the idea was…
-
When your new team has low performers
When a reorganization puts you in charge of employees who scored poorly on their most recent performance review, navigating the Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) can be a challenge. Success depends on treating each person as an individual human being. Here are three different examples I’ve faced in my career: 1️⃣ The Culture Clash A recent…
-
What is your team responsible for?
One of the most frustrating memories I have from my time in the corporate world was hearing teams who said that they felt paralyzed because they couldn’t get their leaders to respond to questions, but whenever they made a decision without the leader’s input, it would end up getting reversed when the leader heard about…
-
Involve your kids in your work
A couple of days ago I talked about finding your own definition of success. If your definition concentrates on your family, then let me invite you to find creative ways to connect with your kids. In the video, I’ll show a photo of a much younger me when I was studying for my Masters Degree…
-
Playing to win requires you to lose.
Here’s a common assessment I’ve heard to describe people who limit their own growth potential: “They’re not playing to win; they’re playing to not lose.” But to reach your full potential, to truly win, you have to be willing to lose some things. You may need to spend money or political or social capital to…
-
Don’t look for “fun” upskilling
When you’re a technology leader, there’s always something new to learn — both for you and for your team. Whether you’re migrating to or from the cloud, changing or automating a manual process, introducing a new library or language, or switching some corporate system, you and your team will often need to “upskill.” And you…
-
Team Member Evaluation
For many managers, end of year is when you’re asked to review the performance of your team members. And while there are many great reasons to reject the idea of an annual review in favor of regular performance feedback throughout the year, at some point, a manager has to decide how to allocate increases in…