As we edge towards the end of 2025, the annual recurrence of holiday tensions has arrived. December brings year-end deadlines, an abundance of holiday parties, and greater than usual personal commitments.
The result? More stress, more tension, and more anxiety which is creeping into the fabric of many organizations. What to do? Consider these tips to manage through the next few weeks.
Top performers strive for the next accomplishment, soak up new information, and embrace the opportunity to challenge the status quo. They are eager to learn and stretch their minds.
I enjoy asking what people read, because it reveals interesting insights. Some people eagerly share their latest title; others look at me with a look that says “who cares about that?”
Have you ever made assumptions about what someone is thinking, reacted based on those assumptions, only to find out that you were completely wrong? We all do this occasionally, but frankly, it’s a bad habit.
You never know what’s going on with someone…you need to ask.
Leaders find that accountability – or, more accurately, the lack thereof – is one of the more challenging issues in the workplace. How do you get people to do what they commit to do…especially when often they don’t stand by their commitments?
Creating a culture of accountability takes work and dedication by the leaders of an organization. You can’t just post rules and guidelines and expect people to follow them. They won’t. And you can’t expect behavior to change overnight.
Have you experienced situations where employees resist raising their level of performance because of co-worker resentment? This might sound crazy, but unfortunately it happens . And it’s up to you to stop it before it gets out of control.
A few years ago, I delivered a leadership program over a period of weeks. One of the participants, Jeanne, eagerly returned to her office each week with the intention of applying something that she learned.
No one likes to fire an employee. It’s uncomfortable – even distressing – depending on the circumstances. But it’s one of the realities of managing; in fact, the rest of your staff will take note of how you handle it.
Here are a few examples of what not to do based on real situations that happened to three different clients.
What is your preferred style when delivering feedback? Some people embrace opportunities to offer positive accolades for a job well done. Others are quick to criticize what didn’t work well and focus on what needs to be done differently the next time.
Both types of feedback are necessary. You need to acknowledge the good as well as offer suggestions for improvement.
Have you ever clung to an old narrative about an employee even if the circumstances have changed? For example, let’s say you reigned in a “renegade” employee six months ago and the person subsequently adapted to more moderate behavior.
In this case, the former scenario no longer exists. But you’ve recently discovered that the employee is actually underperforming because he’s following your previous directives to the letter and is timid about taking advantage of new opportunities.
Some of my clients complain that their employees don’t do what is expected of them, and then ask for my help in search of the silver bullet.
The first question I ask is how they communicated the assignment. Usually this is the only necessary question, because typically the dialogue – whether spoken or written – between the manager and the employee was ineffective.
Picture this: You’re in a team meeting, confidently outlining next steps based on what you believe everyone agreed to last week. Suddenly, a team member speaks up: “Wait, why do you think that?” or “I never said that.” The room goes quiet. You realize you’ve been operating on assumptions that nobody else shares.
This moment—awkward as it is—reveals one of leadership’s most insidious traps: the unchallenged assumption. Leaders are paid to make decisions quickly, often with incomplete information. But when we fill knowledge gaps with assumptions and treat those assumptions as facts, we create a foundation built on quicksand.