Some people become more confident and decisive when they step into leadership roles. Others become louder, less receptive, and harder to reach. Over time, I’ve noticed how power can subtly reshape how people lead and not always for the better.

A hotel general manager gathers their team to address a pressing issue—a sudden drop in guest satisfaction scores. The GM sets the stage,...

Whether I’m working with new leaders or those who have decades of experience, I’ve noticed one challenge that comes up again and again:...

From the sidelines of a weekend soccer game, you can often hear the “joysticking” parent or coach—calling out a continuous stream of...

Two seeds were buried side by side in a field. The seeds—Amara and Brio—lay dormant, dreaming of the sky. One day, a gentle rain...

An agreement is communication that establishes expectations between two or more parties. Most agreements share foundational principles...

As leaders we want individuals on our teams to succeed and as parents we want our children to succeed. When Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, was asked about the similarities between leadership and parenting, he suggested tough love is a critical skill in both contexts. I’ve recreated Grant’s “Tough Love Matrix of Leadership and Parenting” below. Tough love combines two essential elements: caring deeply and setting high expectations

Shortly after I arrived as a new faculty member at the Hotel School at Cornell University, I was welcomed by Giuseppe Pezzotti, a...

I learned to be a manager while I was learning to be a teacher. After graduating from university, I had a job that involved managing...

When I was in college, I watched the TV series The West Wing . Characters would get into intense, sometimes heated disagreements about high-stakes issues. Voices were raised. They’d argue over fundamental principles. And then, often in the very next scene, those same people would work together civilly, almost as if nothing relational had been damaged. At the time, I was skeptical. I wondered whether that kind of behavior actually happened in real workplaces, or whether it was

Leadership is enacted through communication. When it comes to speaking, leaders have many opportunities to influence others from...

While I was completing my MBA, I was also working for someone who taught me an important lesson about leadership and communication....

Think of an interaction that has gone well for both you and the person you were communicating with. Now think of an interaction that didn’t go as well as you would have liked. In the first interaction, you were likely communicating from above the line. In the second, you were likely communicating from below the line. When we communicate from above the line, we are open to new ideas, we ask questions, and we are committed to growth and learning. Conversely, when we communicate

My work provides me the opportunity to interact with a large number of highly motivated people who are eager to put their skills to use....

Most employees prefer to receive fair and accurate constructive feedback from their managers, and employees who do receive regular...

We are problem solvers, so when faced with a workplace issue, we are wired to focus on solutions. However, research suggests people are...

With so many issues vying for your attention, having a way to think about how you spend your time and energy is essential. I’m sharing...

The uncertainty brought on by difficult experiences triggers fear in our brains. From an evolutionary perspective, this has helped our...

In the last few years more students than ever have asked me some version of the following question: “How do I ask good questions?” They...

I took up golf in my early twenties. My step-father purchased a set of clubs for me, took me to his favorite course, and gave me a few...