“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.

Discover why genuine appreciation is one of the strongest drivers of engagement—and how managers can use it to build trust, engagement, and motivation.

When a team creates space for honest disagreement, for dissent, for people to be authentic —expressing their instincts, questions, concerns, and unique thinking styles—something powerful happens. Decisions get better. Outcomes improve. Innovations surface.

Navigating friendships with employees can be complex, yet it is achievable through transparent communication, well-defined boundaries, and a dedication to professional conduct. It’s essential to strive for a workplace atmosphere where all individuals feel appreciated, respected, and treated equitably, whether or not you choose to be friends with your employees.

It's no secret that mistakes are part of learning—but why are errors so crucial? According to neuroscientist Andrew Huberman (Stanford School of Medicine) and organizational behavior scholar Amy Edmondson (Harvard Business School), our brains and organizations benefit when errors are openly explored rather than hidden.

At Nash Consulting, we believe that understanding the four behavior styles is one of the most powerful tools available to managers. Why? Because in our 30 years of working with leaders, we've consistently seen that managers who understand behavior styles - both their own and their team members' - are simply more effective leaders.