I used to think that if only I got the right job, at the right place, working for the right CEO, that all of a sudden, all of the “crazy organization” stuff — if you’ve worked for a large organization, you darn well know what I mean — would go away. Bzzt! Wrong answer. In […]
The Most Important Thing About Your IT Budget
Here’s something important to me and you. I just got the below reader email. I’ve taken out personally identifying information and changed his name, but here’s what it was: Hey Jonathan, I greatly appreciate your insight from your latest article, “How To Get More Resources For IT.” I work in ***, *** for a multi-billion […]
How To Tell Your Boss, “You’re Wrong!”
Any smart boss is looking for pushback. Here’s why, and how you can push back in a way that’s good for everyone. When I coach new or emerging leaders, I often offer this protip: if nobody’s speaking up or objecting to your direction, it’s probably not because you’re perfect. It’s because folks feel like they […]
How To Fix Workplace Cruelty
Workplace cruelty is a central issue of our time. But it’s not for “the company” to fix, it’s for you and me to fix. We get outraged by factory production of puppies, as we should. Puppies are fellow creatures; they do not deserve the fear and pain of being mass-produced. Why, then, do we put […]
Why You Should Keep A “Smile File”
A smile file is not only the time capsule of a future pick-me-up, it keeps track of whom you should work with in the future. My mom called it “the good guy” file. I call it “the smile file.” Whatever you call it, keep one. Even if you are a “piler, not a filer,” this […]
Why Nobody Should Collect Mobile Phones At Meetings
Again and again, I hear folks talk about the “cell phone basket” at meetings, where everybody drops their little piece of electronic addiction into a basket so that they can focus on the task at hand. Except, it’s ridiculous to blame technology for the core problem: meetings that aren’t engaging. What’s next, taking away people’s […]
How To Say “I Love You” At Work
Employees don’t stick around because of money. They stick around for love. The need for money is a given. It’s also at every job. That’s why it’s a job. But money is not why people stick around. All jobs have money. People stick around at a job because of connection and meaning. The human need […]
Surrounded By Yes? Get The Feedback You Need.
Leaders hear a lot of “yes.” How can you get the feedback you need? Yes is a lovely word. But you don’t always want to hear it. “Yes” can get in the way of “better.” Every boss finds him on herself surrounded by minions who are going to say “yes,” or “great idea.” But, who […]
The Dis(Honesty) Feature Film Kickstarter
I enjoy Dan Ariely’s work, partially because he writes well, partially because he can be wickedly funny, and partially because his findings are based on ingenious psychology experiments. I was delighted to find that he and Yael Melamede of SALTY Features launched a Kickstarter to produce a film on the subject. I backed it several […]
Top 5 Ways To Do Cool Stuff At Your Dorky Job
I’m returning from Interop in Vegas, fresh from a talk about how to climb the career ladder, “So You Want To Be A CIO”; I thought I’d share a point that resonated with the audience: everybody wants to do cool stuff at work, but: “nobody trusts you to do cool things if you don’t have […]