The Insightful Leader
A Weekly Newsletter
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3 Skills to Look for in New Managers
Sent to subscribers on February 2, 2022
Good morning,
Have you ever seen a stellar employee get promoted into a management position and just … flail? And, despite everyone’s best efforts to get them extra training and candid feedback, it becomes clear that the role simply doesn’t play to their strengths.
It can be tricky to figure out... more
The Problem with Hiring for Cultural Fit
Sent to subscribers on January 26, 2022
Good morning,
When you have an open position to fill, how much do you focus on whether a candidate will be a good cultural fit for your organization or department?Most managers consider cultural fit a top priority, explains Lauren Rivera, a professor of management and organizations who spent a... more
What Astronauts Can Teach Us About Teamwork
Sent to subscribers on January 19, 2022
Good morning, No matter how much you love your coworkers, you probably don’t want to be confined to a small space with them for months on end. So imagine how tricky it is for astronauts on prolonged space missions to get along. How do they do it? What is needed to keep teams of astronauts operating... more
Should Our Jobs Make Us More Ethical?
Sent to subscribers on January 12, 2022
Here’s a somewhat radical idea: jobs should not only help us grow professionally, but also ethically.That’s the argument made in recent research by Maryam Kouchaki, a professor of management and organizations. She and a coauthor argue that workplaces—where, after all, we spend much of our... more
Before You Quit, Ask Yourself These Questions
Sent to subscribers on January 5, 2022
Here we are in 2022, and COVID is showing no signs of slowing down. Nor is the “great resignation” looking like it will let up anytime soon.Have you been tempted to join the roughly 38 million U.S. workers who quit their jobs last year? Are you itching to do something bigger and bolder, or... more
Are Your Data Visualizations Clear?
Sent to subscribers on December 15, 2021
Charts and graphs are ubiquitous in business these days, appearing in client presentations, internal reports, and marketing materials. These data visualizations can be very powerful and persuasive given that they appeal to the roughly 40 percent of our brain involved in visual comprehension.
But... more
What It Takes to Be a Great Manager
Sent to subscribers on December 8, 2021
Most of us are eager to brush up on our leadership skills. (I mean, you are reading a leadership newsletter right now.) Yet we likely spend too little time thinking about how to become a better manager, according to Carter Cast, a clinical professor of entrepreneurship.
“Within a company, leaders... more
4 Tips for Delivering Better Feedback
Sent to subscribers on December 1, 2021
Most of us value getting good feedback. We want to improve, and constructive criticism is what gets us there. But, alas, not everyone is good at delivering feedback. So that’s what we’ll focus on today: how to give useful feedback that people will truly hear and act upon.
How to Deliver Good... more
Virtual Meetings Can Be a Drag. So Fix Them.
Sent to subscribers on November 17, 2021
Whether you like it or not, virtual work is here to stay. Maybe you’re fully remote or in the office a few days a week. Perhaps you’re in the office full time but others aren’t. Regardless, you’re likely conducting a lot of virtual meetings. And, as we have all learned, in-person interactions don’t... more
How to Negotiate for What You Want
Sent to subscribers on November 10, 2021
Much has been made of The Great Resignation of 2021. With that comes a whole lot of opportunities for negotiation. Maybe you quit your job and now have a new offer to consider. Or perhaps the pandemic made you reevaluate your quality of life and you want to propose a more flexible schedule to your... more