Modern management theory is built on the premise of trust.  If management creates a values-based culture, employees will make the “right” decisions.   Douglas McGregor described Theory X (not trusting) and Y (trusting) managers.   The 1950s were an inflection point where the nature of work and management practices began to shift.  In the era of industrialization […]

The virtues of high-performing teams are well documented.  They are 50% more productive.  They are more creative, and members are 76% more likely to be engaged.  Gallup studies of organizational performance find that companies with highly engaged employees are twice as likely to be successful.  Specific performance metrics include: 17% increase in productivity, 10% increase […]

The traditional definition of optics is the scientific study of sight or light.  An alternative description relates to politics and refers to the perception of a situation.  The political origin dates back to the Carter Administration when a Wall Street Journal editorial stated, “optics will not cure inflation.”  Optics and the management of perceptions are […]

In one of my training classes, there is an exercise to conduct a daily stand-up meeting.  The meeting should be no longer than 15-minutes and be well structured.  In class, we challenge the leader with common distracting and unproductive behaviors.  Watch the clip, the results are often hilarious.  Disruptive and unproductive meetings are common and […]

There are many tools to help project teams manage their work, collaborate, and track performance.  The number of options is overwhelming—Capterra has published over 900-project management tool reviews.  I teach project management classes and am often asked, “Which tool should we use?”  My fundamental advice is to focus on your needs and select a tool […]

I called an old colleague just to say “hello” and see how he was doing.  We have worked together at different companies over the past dozen years.  He is an inspirational finance executive and counted on me to implement his vision.    After salutations, he remarked, “You’re that guy!  You are so good at keeping […]

This year was like living through a 500-year storm.   COVID has infected 1 in 20 Americans, and 1 in 1,000 have died of the disease.  Nearly 15 million people are still out of work.  Thirty-three million have been remote for 9-months and are not likely to return soon.  Racial and social justice issues are at […]

Balancing our work and home lives is a challenge that nearly everyone faces.  I was a single parent for many years and managed large teams and projects in Fortune 100 companies.  It was not always easy.  Recently, I was talking to an old friend and former colleague.  When we worked together, she did not have […]

Agile is now part of the general business lexicon.  On the news, non-technology leaders keep mentioning the need to be “agile” or “pivot.”  Even leaders of traditional industries, like football, use the terminology to describe their approach to their complex business problems. Agile is not magic, nor is it hard to learn.  This article shares […]

You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief They may call you doctor, or they may call you chief But you have to serve somebody … Bob Dylan No matter your role, you are accountable to someone.  As we ascend the organizational ladder, stakeholder management becomes an increasingly more critical skill. Stakeholder management is […]