Great Managers
Turning the team’s good intentions into action
Our colleague Adam Schorr, a Principal at SYPartners, returns this week as a guest blogger. As a manager, one of your most important roles is to set direction for your team — to paint a picture of the future, build belief, and get everyone inspired and ready to go. But what happens when you’ve done […]
A question to help identify stale habits
If you find that your team is stalling, spinning, or keeps bumping up against the same old obstacles, maybe it’s time to take a long hard look at the team’s day-to-day behaviors and assumptions. Kick off discussion with this provocative question at your next team meeting: What habits or behaviors have become such an ingrained part of our team culture […]
Great ways to keep communication flowing
Whether you’re in leadership mode or management mode, the team needs to believe in you and your ability to guide them — and that makes trust and communication vital. Here are a three ideas to help make sure that you and the team are approaching challenges as one unit, united in understanding and purpose. • […]
Knowing when to manage and when to lead
Often, the words we use shape the way we think. The words “leader” and “manager” suggest an identity. But, in fact, those words are not really descriptions of what you are; they are simply descriptions of what you do.
Feeling uninspired? Pull out The Art of Possibility
Recently, we asked our colleagues at SYPartners and our Teamworks community what books are on your short list for any manager. We got so many great responses — from tried-and-true classics to new discoveries. So, we decided to create a new feature on the blog: Books We Love. Every few weeks or so, we’ll post […]
How vulnerability can be a source of strength
Poke around any organization, and you’ll find managers who lead from a place of fear. The ones who assert their authority and shut down opposing points of view. Who rarely let down their guard or admit uncertainty. Maybe you’ve worked for this person in the past — maybe you’ve even been this person in the past.
How to delegate successfully
Every manager must delegate, but delegating successfully is an art. Frank Wu, chancellor and dean at the UC Hastings College of Law, offers six helpful tips: • Delegate work that someone else can truly own. Don’t just foist off your own to-do list. • Don’t micro-manage a project once you’ve delegated it. • Give clear […]