Keep seeking new challenges, keep learning new skills – Jim Grey on Software Management
How I became a Director of Engineering without ever having held the title Software Engineer| Jim Grey on Software Management
When leaders have misconceptions of what empathy entails, they don’t know how to practice it—or they practice it badly. Many don’t bother to intentionally lead with empathy at all, and the stakes are high for those who don’t: low morale, poor retention, and burnout among employees, and failure to connect, inability to gather information, or being perceived as inaccessible for leaders. Empathy is a requisite to mobilize, connect with, and engage others. To better lead with this non-neg...| Harvard Business Review
Fundamentally, feedback is a good thing. For managers, it’s an important tool for shaping behaviors and fostering learning that will drive better performance. For their direct reports, it’s an opportunity for development and career growth. Why, then, is it so problematic? Most managers say they dislike giving feedback and don’t think it’s as effective as […]| Harvard Business Review
If you’re asked to take over as manager after your boss moves on from the organization, start by reflecting on what you actually want. Do you want the position permanently or temporarily? Once you know that, be open and honest about that from the start. Take some time to assess the state of the team so you can determine what you need to accomplish. Is the team operating well, or are there issues that need to be resolved? In any case, stick with modest-sized decisions to keep from overplayin...| Harvard Business Review
As a first-time manager, you may have been given the advice “You are as good as your team.” Team members play a significant role in your success and that of the organization’s, so you want to choose the right people. Though you’ll have a limited time with each candidate during the interview process, you can maximize that time by asking strategic questions to gain insights into their strengths and weaknesses. Here are five things to look for: Entrepreneurial mindset: Employees who are ...| Harvard Business Review
Despite a surge in generative AI use across workplaces, most companies are seeing little measurable ROI. One possible reason is because AI tools are being used to produce “workslop”—content that appears polished but lacks real substance, offloading cognitive labor onto coworkers. Research from BetterUp Labs and Stanford found that 41% of workers have encountered such AI-generated output, costing nearly two hours of rework per instance and creating downstream productivity, trust, and col...| Harvard Business Review
Research has long shown that using friendly nicknames can be a great way to solidify personal relationships between peers or romantic partners. But what’s the impact of using nicknames in professional environments, in which power disparities are common? Through a series of studies with more than 1,100 U.S.-based adults, research finds that using nicknames in workplace relationships between supervisors and subordinates can sometimes have positive effects — but not always. Specifically, res...| Harvard Business Review
Which ones are hurting your company?| Harvard Business Review
Sorting out hybrid work arrangements will require managers to rethink and expand one of strongest proven predictors of team effectiveness: psychological safety. When it comes to psychological safety, managers have traditionally focused on enabling candor and dissent with respect to work content. The problem is, as the boundary between work and life becomes increasingly blurry, managers must make staffing, scheduling, and coordination decisions that take into account employees’ personal circ...| Harvard Business Review
How I became a Director of Engineering without ever having held the title Software Engineer| Jim Grey on Software Management
Reprint: R0909J The value of information in the knowledge economy is indisputable, but so is its capacity to overwhelm consumers of it. HBR contributing editor Hemp reports on practical ways for individuals and organizations to avoid getting too much of a good thing. Ready access to useful information comes at a cost: As the volume increases, the line between the worthwhile and the distracting starts to blur. And ready access to you —via e-mail, social networking, and so on—exacerbates th...| Harvard Business Review
Briefing Paper Sponsored by BetterWorks| Harvard Business Review
Reprint: R0707J Popular lore tells us that genius is born, not made. Scientific research, on the other hand, reveals that true expertise is mainly the product of years of intense practice and dedicated coaching. Ordinary practice is not enough: To reach elite levels of performance, you need to constantly push yourself beyond your abilities and comfort level. Such discipline is the key to becoming an expert in all domains, including management and leadership. Those are the conclusions reached ...| Harvard Business Review
Especially if they are older workers, or confident ones.| Harvard Business Review
The finding: To get employees to do something, managers need to ask them at least twice. The research: A team led by professors Neeley and Leonardi shadowed 13 managers in six companies for more than 250 hours, recording every communication the managers sent and received. The researchers discovered that one of every seven communications by […]| Harvard Business Review
According to recent research, 42% of global employees have experienced a decline in mental health since the pandemic began. What can managers do to support their team members during these trying times? The authors offer eight concrete actions managers and leaders can take today to improve mental health in the face of unprecedented uncertainty, including expressing their own vulnerability, modeling healthy behaviors, and building a culture of communication.| Harvard Business Review
Although most great managers want to recognize their people, the challenge, which has only been made more difficult in the hybrid world, is finding meaningful things to recognize them for. The limitation to our typical approach to praise is that we can only recognize what we see, observe, or learn about from others and our recognition focuses on what we appreciate, which is not always what others want to be appreciated for. This is why it is important for leaders to add a new technique to the...| Harvard Business Review
How to make the performance review process more effective. We will discuss the challenges and provide practical advice for managers and HR teams.| blog.engagerocket.co
Many people with neurological conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and dyslexia have extraordinary skills, including in pattern recognition, memory, and mathematics. Yet they often struggle to fit the profiles sought by employers. A growing number of companies, including SAP, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, and Microsoft, have reformed their HR processes in order to access neurodiverse talent—and are seeing productivity gains, quality improvement, boosts in innovative capabilities, and i...| Harvard Business Review
What exactly is psychological safety? It’s a term that’s used a lot but is often misunderstood. In this piece, the author answers the following questions with input from Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, who coined the phrase “team psychological safety”: 1) What is psychological safety? 2) Why is psychological safety important? 3) How has the idea evolved? 4) How do you know if your team has it? 5) How do you create psychological safety? 6) What are common misconceptions?| Harvard Business Review
Start by getting the challenge/skills ratio right.| Harvard Business Review
Four ways bosses can create them.| Harvard Business Review
