Insights

A client of mine apologized to me recently. Her words: "I don't know if you coach less ambitious people that don't want a corporate career path." She is a senior Program Manager. Decades on large-scale international projects with the kind of career that a lot of people strive for. Then her contract ended, and instead of diving head-first into a #job search, she stopped and asked what she actually wanted next. We spent the first part of our #coaching #work on self-awareness. W

What do you do when you inherit a low performing team in your new leadership role? Last Monday, a client asked me this question 3 weeks into his first job as a #people manager. He had inherited two people. Before his first leadership meeting, he sent them detailed instructions about what to prepare. One of them came back with a presentation that my client described as lazy and low-quality. Needless to say that he was not only disappointed but also furious. In fact, he was pre

Back in my hiring days, signing the contract with a newly hired member of my team was just the final step in my decision-making process. The probation period was more or less a formality, not another reason for the new person to prove something to me. It may sound overconfident but hear me out. By the time I made an offer I had run a structured process. Same questions in the same order, scored against pre-agreed criteria, with multiple people scoring and giving feedback. The

When leaders say “we need to hire fast,” what they usually mean is: we are under pressure, the team is stretched thin and we need to deliver asap. In those situations, it's easy to see #hiring as the go-to solution but, the truth is, it comes with considerable risk that needs to be managed carefully. Here's the Break Down of Hiring Risk Budget risk: staying competitive without breaking internal equity Legal risk: visas, probation terms, non-compete clauses, compliance gaps Pe

The future of #work is no longer a 9-to-5 job. The gig economy is taking over with almost half of working adults in EU and the UK earning money outside their main job. And, among Gen Z, 57% report having a side gig or actively planning one. From a leader's POV, this is a huge factor changing the reality of work, how people perceive it, as well as their motivation, engagement, productivity and the value they bring into your organization. So, How Should You Handle Side-Hustles

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

I used to think that the largest career risk for leaders was their own performance. I now believe it's TIME. You may be performing well at #work, creating momentum, delivering results... And, on any given day, an announcement drops that your company is being acquired. The town hall meeting is filled with optimism and references to the "exciting new chapter" ahead of you. But, silently the org-chart begins to shrink... Not as a result of anyone's poor #performance, but because

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

Regardless of whether you're a fan of the holidays or not, December has a certain atmosphere. People are stretched thin, juggling deadlines, pressure, family chaos, and the countdown to "finally switching off." You can almost feel the collective fatigue in every meeting. The year may be ending, but the race is not. And as a leader, you know that your team is running a marathon, not a sprint. So how do you send off your team for a break and make sure they come back feeling re-

In all my years in HR, I’ve seen promotions used for the wrong reasons: to keep someone from leaving or reward long tenure that “felt right" or to make a team look stronger on paper (and the leader more successful) even when the person promoted wasn’t ready. None of this helps the employee and it certainly does not help the #team. Now, don't get me wrong - I wholeheartedly believe in development. It is one of the strongest motivators we have. It sits together with sense of pu

No leader enters a role hoping to fire people. Yet at some point, every leader faces it. Sometimes because #performance is not improving or because the business changes and budgets shrink. Either way, involuntary exits test not only your leadership skills but also your integrity. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Check out last week's post for part 1 on voluntary exits. Performance based exits ✔️Step 1: Understand the legal background Performance management must sit on a s

Everyone talks about “investing in people.” But when it comes to actual learning and development, too many leaders tick a box and move on. Maybe you have a learning budget or maybe your #team even attended a workshop last year. That's a great start but not a real investment. Especially not when McKinsey’s research shows that demand for advanced #tech #skills could rise by almost 90% by 2030. And it’s not just technical know-how but social, emotional, and critical thinking ski

Disclaimer: the purpose of this post is NOT to stress you out but to prepare you. You can keep reading, it's safe (and optimistic!) For...

By now, you’re probably sick of reading about AI. I am too. Most of the content about AI is either written by AI or written by someone trying to convince you it’s the second coming of electricity. Revolutionary as it is, I want to explore a slightly different angle and something far more personal: the moral choices leaders face when deciding where AI belongs in their day-to-day #work. AI is great at certain things. Summarizing a meeting transcript so you can focus on listenin

It’s August, and while many companies are in a quiet #hiring lull, this is a perfect time to play offense on retention. We spent last...

We all say we want high performers on our teams. But what is high performance? Is it about hitting targets? Working long hours? Being...

In my 16 years in HR, I've participated and managed countless #performance cycles for multiple organizations of various sizes. But, I've...

"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...

As we approach year-end #performance reviews, many of us find ourselves in the familiar swirl of self-reflection and goal-setting. It’s...

The 2024 Olympics were packed with both glorious and entertaining performances but Cole Hocker's magnificent win really stood out for me...