Early in my career, in my very first role as in-house recruiter, my manager (HRD) gave me a piece of advice I did not question for a long time: always overstate your #hiring timelines when you open a new role. Give yourself more room than you think you need. She was right, in a sense, and it worked because hiring managers stopped chasing me so aggressively (and I saved myself from a #burnout). The problem I did not see at the time: I had just learned to negotiate, not collabo

The word "micromanager" has almost lost its meaning from overuse. Before it became the ultimate workplace insult, it described a hands-on management style, and in the right context, that style is not wrong. Situational Leadership by Hersey and Blanchard makes exactly this point: effective leadership adapts to who is in front of you. For instance, a junior employee often benefits from close guidance. The problem is when it becomes the default, regardless of experience or what

Here's something you don't read every day: in a recent BI article, a senior engineer at Meta talked about how he actively asked his organization to demote him. Not because of poor #performance but because the new role did not allow him to do the things he was really good at (and thus, add value). His request was denied and he eventually went back to his previous employer. His story got me thinking about something we almost never talk about at work: the shame of demotion. We t

As the year wraps up and feeds start filling with retrospectives and predictions, I wanted to focus on hope. This is the first of a two-part post focused on positive news from the world of #work and #leadership. It's about amazing things from 2025 that you may have missed but are worth ending the year with, and it's a great reminder that, despite the noise, some things did move in the right direction. Shorter Workweeks Are Proving They Can Work One of the largest multi-countr

Your team is dragging their feet... Meetings lack energy, initiative has slowed down, ideas are uninspired and everyone feels stuck in a rut. tIs this fatigue from too much work? Or is your team actually under-stimulated instead of overwhelmed? The 3 zones of effort The model is well-known, simple and every leader should be able to navigate their team through the zones efficiently. Comfort zone: Think of comfort as the soft landing. People feel safe, competent, steady. It is

Ah, summer. For many, it's a time for sandy toes, slightly more relaxed schedules, and... quiet reflection on their #career path. While...

Tell me if this you: Your mind feels like a web browser with 100 tabs open You are constantly juggling dozens of urgent tasks You are...

When you're the one people count on, there's no room to fall apart. So you power through, show up every day and pretend that everything...

Job searching can feel like running a marathon with no finish line in sight—applications, interviews, rejections, repeat. It’s...

As the year winds down, it’s time for my annual tradition: a cup of tea, some festive jazz music and a reflection on what helped me grow...

"Brain rot" is Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2024. But honestly, it’s been the unofficial slogan of repetitive, soul-crushing work for...

Loyalty as a trait is associated with trustworthiness, reliability, commitment, patience and resilience. And, although it's an admirable...