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Schrodinger’s Cat at Work II: Building the Box of Limitations
"I'm just not strategic enough for that role," Joe told me, shaking his head. With fifteen…
Leadership
Most of the widely disseminated information on leadership is just plain fluff or borderline useless, disconnected from the reality of what practicing managers and leaders face on a daily basis.
I try to cut through the noise and uncover actionable, proven frameworks that lie further upstream.
97 posts
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Frustration Tolerance: An Essential for Surviving Large Orgs
In leadership and life, ambitions often outpace our ability to consistently execute on them. A hidden hurdle that trips up…
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Self Efficacy: A Better Construct than Confidence
Confidence is overrated. A more effective, scientifically-grounded approach to improve performance is self-efficacy.
We often hear about the importance of…
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Cognitive Flexibility: Rewiring How Leaders Respond
Why do some people thrive in complexity while others buckle under pressure? A key factor is the level of cognitive…
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Impression Management: How Effective Leaders Balance Perception and Reality
Is leadership about substance or perception? The truth is, it's both. You must not only be effective; you…
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Fundamental Attribution Error: Why It’s Always Someone Else’s Fault
Training in biases is standard fare these days. However, I see managers regularly fall for one particular bias: the fundamental…
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Psychological Safety vs. High Standards: A Misunderstood Dynamic
The term “psychological safety” is often misleading. When managers hear safety, many dismiss it as a soft style that implies…
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Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles: The Multifaceted Nature of Leadership
Henry Mintzberg was one of the first to identify a comprehensive set of managerial roles that captured the reality of…
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Leading Loosely: Leadership in Loosely Coupled Systems
This is part II of a series on loosely coupled systems. Building on Karl Weick's notion of loose…
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Loose Coupling: Rethinking Control in Organizations
Traditional management emphasizes strict control, clear hierarchies, and uniform processes. This approach, rooted in industrial-era thinking, promises efficiency and predictability.…
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Self-Disclosure: A Balancing Act in Leadership
In conventional leadership, competence is about maintaining composure, projecting strength, and exuding confidence. However, truly effective leaders do something more…
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Metaphors of Organization: Beyond the Machine
Effective leadership hinges on the ability to view organizational challenges from multiple perspectives. Gareth Morgan's eight metaphors of…