How to Respond When the Boss Redoes Your Work

Conflict Avoidance Have you ever dealt with someone who seems to run away from conflict? Working through a conflict when someone is confrontation-avoidant can be challenging. Add to that that the person who avoids conflict is your boss. Now it is doubly challenging! On its face, this case study is about dealing with a boss […]

Can You Lead Collaboratively in an Autocratic Work Environment?

Many workplace cultures are autocratic, top-down, command and control. Some might even say they’re toxic. This begs the question: Collaborative leadership in an autocratic environment — can it be successful? Or will it be looked down upon as “not the way things are done here” and shunned and discouraged? If you work in a Q1 command […]

Managing Intergenerational Conflict in the Workplace

Five Generations in the Workplace For the first time in history, there are five different generations in the workplace. And given the rate at which work itself is changing (hello hybrid work!), it’s no wonder intergenerational conflict has become more prevalent.  So, who exactly are these five generations that make up the modern workplace?  Traditionalists/the Silent Generation […]

Don’t Make This Mistake in a Challenging Workplace Conversation

This case example portrays a common error made in workplace communication. Can you spot what the mistake is, and the result? You’ll learn how to avoid this misstep as we explore “I” statements vs “you” statements.   When You Ask for Help and Don’t Get It Meg is the senior accountant for the payroll department […]

How to Influence without Authority? Motivating a Lazy Peer

Have you ever worked with a colleague who was phoning it in? He’s disengaged and apathetic. You’re not his boss, so you have no authority over him. So, how do you convince your colleague to pull his weight when you have no leverage? How can you influence him without authority? This case study explores options […]

By Solving Your Direct Reports’ Problems, Are You Creating New Ones?

The Problem Isn’t the Problem Psychiatrist Theodore Isaac Rubin once said, “The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.” In other words, the problem itself isn’t the issue – the issue is your attitude and what you do as a result. Often […]

If You’re the Boss, Why Are You Doing All the Work?

Overworked and Overwhelmed You’re a manager. A leader in the organization. Yet why, whenever it’s crunch time, are you the one burning the midnight oil?  Why don’t your team members step up to the plate and help out more?  The slugs!  It always falls on your shoulders, and this is getting old.  This case study […]

Are Your Open Ended Questions Actually Leading Questions in Disguise?

Are You Being as Open-Minded as You Think You Are? What happens when you think you are doing everything right in managing your direct report, but you’re still not getting results? You are getting his views first before presenting your own. You are asking open-end questions. The problem must be the direct report, right?  Maybe. […]

E-mail or Phone? Don’t Make This Leadership Mistake!

The Perils of Communicating Offhanded Information Dave is a Vice President at a regional insurance firm. He has just hired Michelle to be a claims administrator. She works at a satellite office several hundred miles away. After a three-day orientation with Dave, Michelle has settled into her job. While Dave is her boss, she won’t […]

Is the Feedback You’re Giving Constructive or Destructive?

One-Way Communication in Contrast to Two-Way Communication Have you ever encountered this very interesting workplace situation: A decision doesn’t go the way an employee wants. His boss wants to turn this into a developmental experience for his employee. So when he gives the employee the bad news, he also tells him what his problem was, […]