Here’s what we know – everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes a failure is our own fault. Sometimes it’s because we were counting on something or someone else. It could be in our control, or not. But one thing is for sure: we all make mistakes. Given that reality, here’s the bigger question: how do you handle … Everyone makes mistakes… CONTINUE READING

The other day I said to my boss, “After this is over, I’d like to sit down and talk thru where I made mistakes or where I made all of this harder than it should have been.” Fifteen years ago I would have never said that. It would have been a request to have someone … Leaders ask for feedback CONTINUE READING

Companies need candor from their employees, but bosses must take real steps to make clear they’re open to bad news and contrary opinions.

We need to change how we think about mentorship. Too many people still think of a mentor like Yoda -- an older sage, descending from his lofty perch to deliver timeless wisdom that will guide them along the trajectory of their careers.

It’s at least as essential as criticism.

Tom Henschel from The Look & Sound of Leadership

It's one of the quickest ways to grow as a person.

But affiliating with only admirers is a mistake.

How do you give feedback to a CEO who’s twice your age? I was 25, a new professor called in as a last-ditch, Hail Mary effort to save a dying company. They had already fired three consultants, so why not try me? The CEO had been leading longer than I’d been alive.

An important life lesson is revealed by an unlikely source.

Not every opinion is useful.

The firm tells The Washington Post that it will abandon its old system for all 330,000 employees, starting in September.

Without a clear process, people get discouraged.

The right ways to receive feedback

Don't fish for a canned response (third item) is a good reminder.