April 20, 2020

Why Catchers Make Great Managers

A baseball catcher is the closest position to a manager in sports. In this article, I look at how the greatest catchers coach their pitchers to the next level.

April 6, 2020

Leading A Team In A Crisis

I examine the team dynamics of a steel company in crisis in this article. The lessons in leadership apply in any high-pressure business situation.

January 21, 2020

Great Managers Are Not Afraid To Piss You Off

We recall our mentors with an abundance of positive memories. We associate achievement with their guidance, direction and attention. Whether they were teachers, coaches or managers, they cared enough to invest

January 14, 2020

Why Giving Advice Doesn’t Work (And What To Do Instead)

"Rush out there with a ton of energy and tell a hilarious joke." A young, introverted manager asked my advice for his presentation in front of 200 people at an annual

December 10, 2019

Nobody Cares, Work Harder

Lamar Jackson is proof of how doubt can be used as fuel to take your performance to the next level.

October 7, 2019

More Feedback Is Not Always Better

Managers intuitively believe that more feedback is the key to helping a struggling employee. In many cases, it serves only in making the situation worse. This article focuses on a better approach.

August 7, 2019

Effective Managers Focus On Outcomes More Than Process

Early in my career, I took a call from the top executive in my business. This was an unusual phone call, as he was several rungs up in the corporate

July 3, 2019

Hey Managers, Preach Less And Lead More

I’m listening to my team and growing increasingly irritated. One by one, they list off the reasons we can’t do better. I was still new to my sales manager role, only six

March 11, 2019

How To Manage Your Former Peers

Like most new managers, my peers found out about my promotion from an email announcement. I was 25 years old and had no idea what I was doing. Once that email

by Ian Mathews