Leadership & Career

Banish bad habits now

August 1, 2009
Whether you smoke, swear or bite your fingernails, your bad habits can endanger your health and sink your reputation at work.

In praise of precise thinking

August 1, 2009
In this age of goal-driven striving, we may focus on the big picture at all costs. But sharp thinkers sweat the small stuff.

Stretching the truth can hurt

August 1, 2009
In a recent speech by a senior executive at Lockheed Martin Corp., the speaker discussed faulty predictions that experts have made over the years. She was trying to make a point that even the most knowledgeable experts cannot see into the future.

So analytical, yet so wrong

August 1, 2009
Fresh from graduating Harvard Business School, Bob Seelert joined General Foods’ product management staff in 1967. His first assignment: Help launch Start, an instant breakfast drink. “Little did I know it was about to become the single biggest disaster in the company’s history,” says Seelert.

Share knowledge when it counts

August 1, 2009
Senior executives have many talents. But they can’t read minds. Consider what happens when you assume your boss knows what you know …

Winning the goals versus process battle

August 1, 2009
Zach was hired as your boss last year. From the outset, he promised to do things differently. Rather than hold you accountable for meeting production goals, Zach told you to “focus on process” …

Bring stability to a crisis

August 1, 2009
Every crisis will pass. And when it does, your reputation will either soar or suffer based on how you handled it.

A dose of insight

July 1, 2009
Sally, a technician for a manufacturer of scientific equipment in Texas, discusses how a team-oriented workplace has fizzled in recent months.

Fight fears that stop you from enacting solutions

July 1, 2009
Do you prefer conflicts to peaceful coexistence? Before you rush to say, “Of course not,” think again. Many people perpetuate conflict because they fear the consequences of resolving it.

Managing an uncooperative peer

July 1, 2009
Lisa crunches numbers. She works with you but does not report to you. Her boss is the chief financial officer. You rely on Lisa’s accounting and budget projections to make key decisions. But she spends more time bullying you than providing the data you need …