Most people don't have a motivation problem; they have a remembering problem. At the beginning of the year, we decide we'll exercise, have difficult conversations, work on strategic priorities, or stop checking email every three minutes. The intention is real. The commitment is sincere. Yet somehow, when the moment arrives, the plan disappears. Not because we forgot our goals. But because we didn't connect those goals to the cues that actually drive behavior. Traditional goa

Many managers and leaders I've met think that the people who report to them are bad communicators - they aren’t sharing good enough information, or they aren't sharing often enough. In my experience, however, those leaders often have a questioning problem - they're not asking the right questions with the right frequency. What you ask (and the way you ask it) determines the quality of what you hear. Compare these two questions: “Did the project go well?” “What parts of the

People resist change for many understandable reasons, all of which create stress. Even positive change can create stress and anxiety. (Think about graduating from school, getting married, or starting a new opportunity.) Here are eight common reasons people resist change and what you can do about the stress they cause you when you face them. 1) Lack of Control Feeling in control gives us a sense of safety and stability. It helps us believe we can manage outcomes, avoid harm,

We all know that AI can improve your performance. It helps you do tasks faster and more accurately, but there's a cost: your ability to recall the information you used AI for decreases. In a similar vein, recording a lecture makes it easier for you to quote the lecture later, but it doesn't help you retain the information shared in the lecture. Only taking notes will really help with that. Using a calculator gets your math done quickly and correctly, but erodes your numbe

When people talk about power at work, they usually mean one thing: Authority. It ends up being about your title or whether you get the final say. But that’s just one type of power. And honestly? It’s not the best one (in my opinion). Power isn’t a single thing you either have or don’t. It's not something you can even control, really. It’s a set of tools, and too many leaders are only relying on one. The Six Types of Power (Whether You Realize It or Not) Back in 1959, socia

Good leaders lead each team member differently, meeting them where they need to be met. Maybe George needs more coaching and Amelia needs more training. A good leader will see that and not try to treat them the same. But great leaders are able to meet their people differently on a task-by-task basis, giving them support where they excel, and training where they're learning. The trick is knowing your people well enough to know where they're excelling and where they're stuc

Several years ago, I had a new leader join the HR team. In our first meeting, he sat us down for a super-casual, get-to-know-him talk. He gave us his background and bio, and when he got to why he was hired to lead our team, he said, "I was brought in to blow shit up." He then proceeded to tell us how he would blow said shit up and what his vision for the future was. I pulled him aside a few days after the meeting and told him, gently, that we had built all the shit he was

I'm sitting in a hotel room on a family vacation as I write this. My kids are in kids' camp, and my husband is waiting for me on the beach. I've avoided my computer successfully for five consecutive days, so I'll keep this short so I can get back outside! Time off isn’t just part of your benefits package; it's intended to give you a reset in multiple ways. It has measurable, research-backed benefits for performance, decision-making, and leadership effectiveness. And yet,

I've been seeing this a lot in the classrooms I've been in: a manager has a team member who is underperforming (for various reasons, in various ways) and they address it, but nothing changes. They address it again, maybe this time with some consequences (like "we'll have a more serious conversation about this if it continues"), and it continues. They have the serious conversation, and it still continues. Morale is starting to tank because the rest of the team sees them ge