The effect of parenting decisions on future leadership development is a vein of thinking that has been mined previously at The Jersey. Child development researchers at Penn have long hypothesized that imbuing children with resilience is something that can either be achieved or counteracted via the parental process. In the process of looking at “grit”, […]
Category Archives: Develops People
December
21
Who’s Review Is It? 4 Realities of a Conversation Between Two People
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Performance reviews are an interesting topic for first-line supervisors. Nothing evokes more outrage from someone more than a poorly handled review. And nowhere is the scene set for a potentially career-altering conversation than when boss and employee sit down for this process. From The Jersey’s perspective, reducing this to a clash of cultural […]
December
06
4 Things To Say To Sabotage Your Newest Teammate
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
The stress of starting a new job in a career field can often be a critical factor in making a decision to stay, either in the field, or with the chosen employer. There are many components to this stress, of which some are obvious (like doing the work itself) and some are less so (like […]
April
28
First Rule of Bossing – Do No Harm
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Stanford professor Robert Sutton is well known for his theories on management and business, with over a dozen books to his credit. His most popular work is about being civil in the workplace, which at its core is about the Golden Rule. It is unfortunate that in any conversation about workplace jerks, the buck stops pretty squarely […]
April
05
Things The Boss Doesn’t Tell You
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Having just concluded a post about not keeping secrets, it occurred to me that in fact, there are probably a few secrets your boss hasn’t, and won’t ever, tell you. Examining them is food for thought for the new leader and aspiring leader. The experienced leader should also take note because if you can’t check the […]
September
29
The Learning Leader
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
The other day, I had the opportunity to briefly chat with a colleague whom I had managed for several years, and who themself was now in a leadership position. The general conversation was about how they had identified some key sources of leadership guidance early on and continually referred to it whenever a particular problem or issue […]
Reality…What A Concept
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
There are many stories in and around the workplace, but none are arguably more frustrating to the new leader than inheriting the narratives of all your teammates. Cy Wakeman, author of “Reality-Based Leadership” argues that drama is emotionally expensive for all concerned. As both leader and a peer within your own team, you will find […]
July
03
Defining the “Reluctant Warrior”
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
It’s review time. You are sitting down with a teammate talking development and goals and the future with a hardworking, productive member of your organization. In the midst of this, comes the following – “Do I need to have goals and a career development plan? I don’t want to be a leader”. Hopefully, your hair […]
The False Choice of “Character” versus “Results” – Developing People
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Recently, the Chairman of the Joint Chief’s of Staff, Martin Dempsey, noted that the character deficencies of the senior leaders of the services required special attention. The general said that officers who had “incredible” character but poor professional competence, and those who were high-achievers but who “did not live a life of character” were of […]
Put me in the game, Coach! – Acting as a Coach and Mentor
posted by Jeffrey Thomason
Coaching and mentoring are two skills that all good leaders practice often and well, while the leaders at the lower end of the employee satisfaction survey…well, not so much. Is there a difference between the two? For the purposes of this post, we will treat these as different levels of focus using similar skills. The […]
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