I am immersed in a world of hyper-growth. All hyper-growth companies struggle with the unrelenting demands of rapid scale. There is no smooth sailing when your company is doubling, tripling, or quadrupling in size each year. However, some companies make it through hyper-growth and come out...
“Jennifer, I’m so fed up with these two guys! I have told them – again and again -- they have to stop going to the mat on every little thing. I gave them your articles on how to give feedback to a coworker and how...
Threatening. Ego-crushing. Insecurity-inducing. Awkward. These words all describe what happens when you manage people who know more about their profession than you do. This happens because most managers try to lead experts the same way they manage people who are more junior. Let’s face it – every leader who climbs...
“I can’t wait to see what HR is going to do with this.” The other day, I overheard someone wonder aloud what HR was going to do in response to particularly troublesome behavior by a group of managers. As an anthropologist of company cultures, I see this...
This may be the shortest article I’ve ever shared with you. The fastest way to figure out who’s in power is… Are you ready for this? It’s humor. Noticing the dynamics around humor is a failsafe way to figure out the power structure of almost any group of...
High attrition is frustrating, expensive, risky – and 100% curable. In a recent conversation with one of the panelists for the upcoming MBTI Users Conference, I was reminded of the situation we had faced, the intensity of it, and how dramatically things changed in just a...
It happens to nearly everyone at least once. You find yourself working for an ineffective boss whose issues impact you and your team. While it’s certainly disappointing, it doesn’t have to be an unstoppable force of destruction. There are three mistakes I see talented professionals make...
You’ve achieved the pinnacle. You are now the leader of the function, the top boss, the big cheese. Congratulations! Let’s take a few minutes to examine the most frequent mistakes leaders make after being promoted within their department. After examining what not to do, I’ll share...
Since it's the last two weeks of August and everyone's out of the office, I thought those of us who are working could have some fun with language. Gain an edge over your slacking, vacationing colleagues with the proper use of these commonly butchered terms: When referring...
Working relationships can be a minefield, especially when a relationship that’s generally good starts to go bad. I’m not talking about severe wrongs of the lawsuit variety here. I’m referring to the myriad injuries we inflict on one another, often without realizing it. These injuries can...