I’m talking about a short, clear document that captures the personal mission, values, principles, practices, and skills we choose to lead by. Something we can come back to when we’re in the weeds and need to reset and refocus.

"Being listened to feels so much like being loved that people can scarcely tell the difference." ~ David Taylor-Klaus

I believe we shouldn’t be afraid to bring love into our leadership at work.

Especially when we are in positions of power, showing up with love matters a ton.

How many of you have heard: “As a manager, you DEFINITELY need to receive feedback non-defensively.”

Good advice, for all the obvious reasons.

People-leaders (AKA those with a power differential) have an outsized impact on engagement, morale, and whether ideas and feedback flow freely.

The practice of non-attachment in leadership is the practice of recognizing, again and again, that this simply is not true. We don’t need to prove, defend, or force.

If you don’t have a consistent framework, your response will depend on your mood, your stress level, your personal biases…or whether you’ve eaten lunch yet.

“The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.”– George Bernard Shaw

Your employees are usually fine with how decisions get made as long as they know what style you are using. Are they deciding or are they influencing?

It’s time we start getting more precise about how we talk about and foster “psychological safety” on teams. Because our efforts can backfire if we don’t.

While I was watching the Seattle Seahawks (whom I love dearly), a simple football analogy came to mind that makes this distinction clear.

In this article, we’ll introduce two surprisingly simple, powerful tools we’ve seen consistently drive accountability and results. The best part? They take less than 30 minutes to implement as a team-wide standard practice.

Whether you’re a new manager or a seasoned leader, this article gives you everything you need to roll out ISPs with confidence: a clear overview of the process, ready-to-use checklists, and helpful scripts for each step.

Being an effective people-manager requires a very specific set of skills and emotional capacities. But if you want to make a difference in people’s lives, being a great manager is one of the most direct, tangible, high-leverage ways to do it.

Management processes, such as creating employee development plans and conducting regular one-on-ones, are essential. They create structure. They provide the channels for communication, alignment, and accountability. But if you’re trying to build a leadership culture — not just check management boxes — processes alone aren’t enough.

When management isn’t working, the ripple effects show up everywhere. And yet... time and again, organizations underinvest in management development. Why? Here are four reasons we see all the time.