One of the keys to Alan’s success was something I call “joyful accountability.” He liked to approach people who needed correction and cheerfully let them know that it was completely up to them whether they changed their behavior or attitude. He would remind them that if they couldn’t change, he would still be their friend, but they couldn’t continu

Alan was neither passive-aggressive nor condescending when he said these things. He meant every word. And more often

There is a secondary aspect of managing individuals that a leader must fulfill: they must ensure that their subordinates one level below are managing their people too! This is one of the most overlooked responsibilities that I find among senior leaders, especially CEOs. Even many CEOs who are really good people managers don’t demand (e.g., check up

I’ve read studies that say employees have to hear a message seven times before they believe executives are serious about it. Until then, they discount it as corporate speak or internal propaganda. Though it’s been a while since I was a line-level employee, I can remember taking most corporate communication from executives with a grain of salt. That

We can talk all day about what we’re supposed to do, but if we don’t understand why we’re leading in the first place, none of it will make sense.”

Unfortunately, many CEOs refuse to repeat themselves again and again and again and again. There are a few reasons for this. Many of them worry that they’re going to insult their audience by repeating a message. They forget that employees hate not knowing what’s going on in their organization and that no reasonable human being has ever left a compan

“That’s great. But I’m talking about being a constant, incessant reminder of the company’s purpose, strategy, values, priorities. I like to say that you’re not only the CEO, you’re the CRO.” Before Shay could ask, she explained. “The chief reminding officer. Prospective em-ployees. New employees. Current employees. Constant reminders and updates an

Most CEOs don’t hate the idea of communicating to employees. But the majority of them greatly underestimate the amount of communication that is necessary.

Management is the act of aligning people’s actions, behaviors, and attitudes with the needs of the organization and making sure that little problems don’t become big ones. Avoiding this is nothing but negligence.