Blog
What Your Hot-Headed Leader Wants You to Understand (But Won’t Tell You)
You’ve tried everything. The “let’s talk about your communication style” conversation. The feedback about “managing emotions in the workplace.” The HR mediation. The leadership coaching. But your high-performing, hot-headed leader keeps exploding. The damage spreads, and good employees start looking for the exits. You’re left wondering: Is this person even capable of change? Let me…
Why Interpersonal Success Requires Practice, Not Perfection
What most leaders get wrong about interpersonal skill, is that they think it’s something you either have or you don’t. You’re either “a people person” or you’re not. You’re either good at difficult conversations or you avoid them. You’re either naturally empathetic or you’re more task-focused. Interpersonal success isn’t a personality trait, it’s a practice.…
Why “You Hurt My Feelings” Doesn’t Work at Work (And What Your Family Taught You About Conflict)
It’s happened again. An abrasive leader has exploded at one of your team members and now the team member is embarrassed, disengaged, and afraid to contribute when the leader is around. You know you need to address it, but when you imagine the conversation, you hear yourself saying things like… “You hurt the team’s feelings…
The Surprising Connection Between Family Dynamics and Leadership Conflict
You’re in another executive team meeting. The CFO is silent, again, even though everyone knows he disagrees with the proposed strategy. The COO is getting increasingly aggressive in her pushback. And you’re managing the tension in the room the same way you always do…crack a joke to ease the tension. Most leaders don’t realize →…
The 3 C’s of Difficult Conversations: How to Stay Grounded When the Conversation Gets Tough
As a leader, Ben knew he needed to address Bob’s abrasive behavior. Bob had a pattern of dismissing colleagues’ ideas in meetings, sending curt emails that left people feeling belittled, and making sarcastic comments that created tension across the team. Ben found every reason to avoid the conversation. He anticipated Bob being defensive. He worried…
The Culture You Tolerate Is the Culture You Create
What do your employees feel when they walk into work each day? Sal walked through the front door of his office and immediately felt the tension. A familiar knot formed in his stomach as he headed to his desk. While many of his coworkers were friendly, he dreaded interacting with one person in particular, someone…
7 Ways to Be a Terrible Boss (And Why You Should Do the Opposite)
A fun guide to leadership fails, and how to turn them around. Ever wonder what separates great leaders from the ones employees complain about around the water cooler? Sometimes it’s easier to spot what not to do than to figure out the right approach. So let’s have some fun with it. Here’s a list of…
How to Deal with Employee Resistance to Change
The company faced a new rollout. Employees learned a new computer system and it changed the daily workflow. The manager got frustrated with employees who complained about the changes and didn’t appreciate how the system boosted the company’s efficiency and long-term competitive advantage. When your employees resist change, it has a negative impact on work…
How to Shift from Reacting to Responding in High-Stakes Moments
You’re the leader. You’re expected to model professionalism, stay level-headed, and bring out the best in your team, even in high-stakes moments. If we’re being honest…some moments test your leadership more than others. Whether it’s sarcasm in a meeting, passive-aggressive behavior, or outright defiance, it’s natural to feel the impulse to snap back. And yet,…
3 Subtle Ways You May Be Undermining Your Work Culture
It doesn’t always take a major disruption to damage work culture. Sometimes, all it takes is letting things slide, over and over again. In my time as a family therapist and now as a workplace conflict expert, I’ve seen it too often: issues are ignored in the name of empathy or avoidance, and by the…