When asked the secret of her cooking, the renowned chef Alice Waters liked to say: “Always start with the right ingredients.” What’s surprising is how often leaders and managers overlook this simple fact. Even one bad employee will spoil the whole bunch.

To build trust, good managers need to make sure people receive effective feedback. Every success should be recognized in some way, no matter how small. At the same time, a special effort needs to be made to coach people when they need co…

I had the pleasure of watching Stephen Curry warm up before a recent game between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics. For those of you who don’t know, Stephen Curry is the star point guard for the Warriors, the two-time MVP…

We’ve been working with a new client, the executive director of a non-profit organization. He asked our consulting team to help him build the culture within his organization.

During the holidays, our family came to visit us in California. To make room for our four children and five grandchildren, my wife and I rented an RV, parked it on the street, and made it our quarters for a week. The beds were cramped an…

One of my favorite axioms of leadership is this: “Assuming responsibility means making a choice.” In other words, you can’t tell people to do something and expect them to assume responsibility for it. You need to pose a series of questions to truly get people to assume responsibility.

Each week “The Working Report” identifies the most interesting articles and research into leadership and high-performing organizations. Compiled by our team, “The Working Report” is free. One article that caught my eye recently…

In my coaching practice, leaders often ask me how assertive they should be. “Do I just tell people what I think,” is a typical comment. “What if I’m not certain about our direction?”

How do you deal with employees who are technically proficient but whose behaviors undermine the team and cause conflict throughout the office?