If it’s urgent, call my cell
December 27, 2023
We tell bosses that if they choose management as a career, every aspect of the human condition will at some point show up for someone they manage.
World's Best Newsletter Archive
What to do with the muchness
November 1, 2023
Either, we’re running as fast as we can toward clear targets. Or we’re running as fast as we can without clear targets.
Thanks but no thanks
September 6, 2023
Sometimes humans really do need a reality check, that’s fair. But if you’re going to reality check someone, we suggest starting with the manager in the mirror.
The sign of a good compromise
June 28, 2023
The past few years we’ve swung wildly between utopian and dystopian visions.
Your pencils are sharp enough
March 22, 2023
We’ve learned that there are two types of work that are the most prone to getting stuck like this. And there are different tools we’ve found helpful for getting them unstuck.
Behind the scenes at the magic kingdom
November 16, 2022
We don’t need it to be all doom and gloom. But what does it mean when there’s no longer space to talk about what’s working and what isn’t?
What to do when you’re all out of puffins
October 19, 2022
The bullshit is supposed to be in service of something. Ideally, say, work that you’re proud of, whose impact matters to you, and which allows you to live a life you enjoy.
The little con and the big con
August 24, 2022
This Quiet Quitting thing may be the topic du jour, but it’s not universal. There are people out there doing engaged, enthusiastic work. There are organizations shining bright and without burning out. If you’re sweating it, worried that it’s happening with your team, here’s our advice.
You don’t want to drink that
August 10, 2022
Threats. Dismissiveness. Burnout. Micromanagement. Yelling. Every bad boss behaviour is going to come out of the woodwork in the next few months.
Smile more?
June 15, 2022
If you start from the assumption that you need to make your team happy – that happiness is an input to work that you need to maximize – you reach for one set of tools. Tools that reduce stress, remove discomfort, avoid conflict. And maybe at a birthday party, or a summer camp, those would be appropriate.
Everyone’s a great manager until they start managing
March 9, 2022
It’s easy to dip into “I would never talk to my team like that. If I were in charge, I would be a way better boss than that.” That smug satisfaction about what you would do if you were in charge? Well, we understand the appeal.
The perks are great and the work is fine
February 23, 2022
Faced with that blandness, a lot of leaders are pushing back-to-office plans. They have nostalgia for the flavour of a packed and humming office, and feel like if people would just get back in there, it would fix things.
Build Something Better
Subscribe to our free, biweekly newsletter