Leadership Mistakes

Crush this common thought blunder

October 25, 2018
How great it is, we often think, that we’re so connected to powerful streams of information and data around the clock. Knowledge is power, right? But that accessibility is making one negative phenomenon that occurs in all our minds more powerful.

Pursuing a solution? Make sure it’s needed first

October 19, 2018
The NFL has found that fixing a perceived problem can lead to even more. Are you about to make a similar mistake at work?

5 ways to screw up your work life

August 9, 2018
A surprising number of experienced executives make some bad moves. Here are the top five.

The dangers of getting locked in

August 9, 2018
Deals loading many benefits into the future may get very wispy indeed as that future arrives.

When will we learn: Think twice before gabbing to media

May 10, 2018
Mastering public relations requires a tricky balancing act. Leaders need to appear accessible to the media without revealing too much. Colin Angle, co-founder and CEO of iRobot, recently fell out of balance—and paid the price.

When a business giant is just a square peg

March 28, 2018
The résumé of Kevin Turner, who spent 11 years as chief operating officer of Microsoft, didn’t really mesh with the demands of the world of hedge fund Citadel. And he became an example of a leader who can’t necessarily walk into the boardroom of his choice and dazzle in a different culture.

A cautionary tale of effusive praise

March 19, 2018

Beware of bruising sensibilities internally when praising how well someone else or some other organization performs.

Why romanticizing leaders as heroes is dangerous

March 7, 2018

“Romanticizing leadership is bewitching because it offers an account of leadership drenched with imprecise mystique. It asks that we view leaders as privileged, holding a transcendent position above the fray of political or historical critique,” said Keith Grint, Professor of Public Leadership & Management at Warwick Business School, who conducted a study of the matter along with David Collinson, of Lancaster University, and Owain Smolovic Jones, of The Open University.

Silence your know-it-all spiel

February 20, 2018

It’s easy to feel like an impostor who’s pretending to know more than you do. That can lead you to talk too much and lose touch with your team. To avoid talking at (rather than with) others, beware of these traps.

Focus on positives to avoid excuses

November 9, 2017
Craig Ross was hired by a company to help its leaders innovate more effectively. Almost immediately, Ross detected a problem: The participants failed to connect well with each other.