Managing up

Make it clear you've got a plan.

Some companies are intentionally creating work environments that encourage people to leave "voluntarily." These are the signs.

People who wish they had more power in their organizations — power to bring their ideas to fruition, power to change policies that make no sense — often try to find the one “big move” that will land them in a position of authority. That’s a long shot, and, in any event, it misses the […]

Mia Ricci left a job she liked to join Rescue, the oldest and largest aid organization fighting global poverty. Her recruiter said she'd have an opportunity...

Almost 50% of the largest American firms will have a new CEO within the next four years; your company could very well be next. Senior executives know...

Three questions can save you from getting caught in the middle.

Were you among the hundreds of thousands of passengers recently stranded when American Airlines grounded more than 3,000 flights in less than a week? If yes, I can tell you who to credit, yes, credit — Bobby Boutris and Douglas Peters. Never heard of them? Well, you should have, for they have done no less […]

When Clay Christensen, his son Matt, and I first launched Rose Park Advisors, we considered bringing on investors at the GP (general partner) level. During one of these conversations, a prospective investor turned to Clay, and said (paraphrasing), “Love disruptive innovation theory. Love your returns. Now…we need someone on the team who’s 40-45, a little […]

Connect the cause to what the company stands for.

Would you like a better boss? A boss who helps you obtain valuable information, win needed resources, and secure important support for your group and for you personally — in short, a boss who’s a real ally and partner? If your boss provides these benefits, you’re lucky. We hear far more complaints than praise from […]

Show your boss you have her back.

AllerGen, a young biotechnology firm, is heading for trouble, possibly even bankruptcy. The company's one product--a vaccine for people allergic to cats--may...

Look for triggers and patterns.

How can subordinates improve relations with their superiors? And how can superiors help their subordinates feel comfortable in what is often a tense relationship? These questions have usually been dealt with only indirectly in management circles. Yet the relationship is so threatening to many subordinates that they react in ways that are damaging to themselves […]

You already know that winning depends in no small part on hiring people better than yourself. If you are a youngish entrepreneur or boss, that will entail hiring older and more experienced people, especially in top roles for your organization. Managing a colleague with ten or fifteen more years of experience than you can present […]

A TV producer struggles to balance three hit shows and a new pilot.

For organizations to prosper, managers in the middle ranks must feel empowered to identify and promote the need for change. People at this level gather...

In the movie Office Space — a comedy about work life in a typical 1990s software company — the protagonist, Peter Gibbons, has eight different bosses. All of them, seemingly unaware of each other, pass by his desk and tell him what to do. While the film is most certainly a satire, for some, it […]

Deepa Purushothaman, principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP, explains why it's important to understand how you're perceived.

As a facilitator, I’m usually in control of meetings and rarely walk away feeling as if a meeting was a waste of time. Of course, I’m paid to make sure that’s the case. I have the luxury of lots of prep to ensure success. Most meeting facilitators are paid to do other things–like, run a […]