Quick Reads (Under 5 Minutes)

It’s a gift and a curse that my natural inclination and talent is heavily skewed to a coaching than directing management style. But it so explains when I’ve been of more use and when I’ve struggled.

Accountability for outcomes over activities brings opportunities for greater influence, more positive impact for people, and accelerated learning and growth. The urgency and permission to develop expertise and mastery.

The news is a masters class on the limitations of “common sense” applied to circumstances outside our day to day experience. Fiasco.

Before giving a coworker feedback over how and when they might better express dissent. First ask, does this better opportunity really exist? Are others using it? Are leaders listening to and responding to concern? Are there differences in power or influence?

This is self-evident but to attract and select consistently meaningful and rewarding work we have to be very, very good at what we do.

I’m skeptical of hard and fast rules intended to foster collegiality - closest I get is starting and ending meetings on time. I like that one. I prefer teams arrive at working agreements specific to them - done with consent in a safe, high-trust environment.

Gratitude to my friend and mentor on his memorial day. He welcomed me into his theater where I found my voice, friendship and my wife. He gave me my first software job and encouraged me to move to New York. He was the most human of world builders and I’m trying to pay it forward.

Dear Business Leaders, let’s recognize our capacity to find joy, balance, and growth in our work is a privilege and is only increased when we accept our responsibility to create that opportunity for everyone else.

An Agile team takes accountability for their delivery. That means team members step up for each other, creating a safe space for their teammates to express what they think, feel, and fear about the work.

The phrase “locally curated” is a bit much but you get the drift… “We believe small, locally curated teams are happier and more fulfilled in their work when working with their peers,” the company says. Stride will be work-from-home friendly once offices in those cities open.

Reminder post-its that I had on my monitor so long, they’ve lost all their stick. 1) don’t disparage yourself 2) watch profanity 3) “we” not “you” 4) advocate for people not in the room.

A lesson learned during my fifteen years as a Director and VP level manager. Teams are the hero of their own story.