The best leaders understand there’s a difference between being nice and being kind. Being nice is telling your team what they want to hear. Being kind is telling your team what they need to...
Crisis Management 101: When The System Fails The Individual.
The key to crisis management is to not put the blame on the shoulders of the individuals who caused the crisis, but instead look at the system that made those individuals fail. Our flaws are...
The Eyes Of The Beast: How To Deal With Conflict.
When conflict arises, it’s often best to face it as soon you get the opportunity. Conflict tends to multiply if you walk away from it. Look the beast in the eye, or let it breed and get bitten...
Stay Humble: Confidence vs Arrogance.
When confidence in your own ability is making you deaf to feedback from your peers, blind to your own weakness and inconsiderate towards others, its strength turns into a weakness. Confidence gives...
Why Experienced Managers Often Believe Punishment Is More Effective Than Positive Reinforcement.
It’s a common pitfall among experienced business leaders to believe punishing disappointing performance goes a longer way than rewarding good performance. Statistics seem to be on their side:...
Leadership 101: People First, Task At Hand Second.
When I was leading a team of 12 in South Africa, I’d often do something called ‘caring by wandering around’. I’d walk the floor and sit with someone in the team, always asking them the same...
Twelve One-Way Tickets To A Toxic Work Environment.
Hold on Goldfish… this is not your usual article. It takes a mind-boggling 15 minutes of your undivided attention to read this article cover to cover. This makes it by far the longest article...
Understanding The Flaws Of Language To Become A Better Leader.
Language is an interesting and tricky thing. As far as we know, it is one of the most advanced tools out there to express ourselves. Language is one of the main reasons the human race has progressed...
Feedback: The Lifeline To Success.
Feedback is essential on the road to success. Whatever you define as success, often the path that leads to this point is not clear-cut. It’s almost like you are walking towards a mountain top you can...
Fishing Coins Out Of Fire.
It's hard enough to listen to constructive feedback with an open mind, let alone when the feedback is delivered in a poor manner. What if the feedback you get is not constructive, but instead...