Everyone needs someone in their life who doesn’t need to be liked. What if your critics aren’t complete idiots? Self-protection is self-limiting: Critiquing your critics is a standard self-limiting behavior when receiving… Continue reading
Every leader knows what it’s like to saddle up and ride into a hurricane of personal attack. Storms are tipping points for success or failure. The issue isn’t the storm, it’s how you… Continue reading
The people who take you further may irritate you the most. Conformists provide steady progress. Contrarians, complainers, and irritants innovate. Complaints: People who want change tend to complain. But some complaints come from… Continue reading
The “make it go away” fairy doesn’t exist. Ignored complaints fester. Uncover the real dissatisfaction before solving complaints. The 4 hidden agendas concealed in complaints: “You should have ….” You caused the problem… Continue reading
You’re tempted to ignore the problems high performing jerks cause. It’s easy to deal with an incompetent jerk. Cowardice is the issue when leaders tolerate incompetent jerks. Leaders who tolerate destructive jerks hobble teams and… Continue reading
Just say it, “Everyone sucks at some things.” Call a leadership team meeting to gripe about weaknesses. Write your direct reports’ names on a whiteboard and list their weaknesses. Illustrate the list with behaviors. … Continue reading
