Business
Don’t Hire Top Talent; Hire for Weaknesses. (via Software Lead Weekly)
This post had a thorough set of descriptions to differentiate the talent mindset from the weakness mindset.
Why you should invest in undervalued people (via Software Lead Weekly)
- “But there is no continuing education in software development, and compensation is tied to shipping, not learning.”
- What are you doing such that you need all this senior talent?
Communication
Find the Right Words to Inspire Your Team (via Harvard Business Review)
- Choose the most valuable verb: enable vs. allow, act vs. address, respond vs. react, overcome vs. face, accomplish vs. meet
- Don’t share; sell (e.g., propose, suggest, recommend)
- Don’t “and” too many things together, as it weakens the original argument
- Related: TED talk by Niro Sivanthan about how adding words to your argument can weaken it.
Danish
- at tage bestik — to obtain an overview, to assess; lit: to take cutlery
- at træde i spinaten — to unintentionally say or do something stupid (English idiom: to stick your foot in your mouth); lit: to step in the spinach
- et fedtedfad — a difficult situation that one gets into by carelessness or stupidity; lit: the fat dish
Leadership
Managing a Top Performer Who Alienates Their Colleagues (via Harvard Business Review)
“Managing a dominant personality is a challenge, especially if they’re alienating their colleagues. For starters, you need to provide some tough feedback. Tell this person how they’re perceived, and explain the consequences of their behavior. Say, “In order to live up to your talents, you must learn to behave differently. Otherwise, you won’t accomplish your goals.” Next, you need to coach and help your aggressive star develop empathy. Engage your employee in active inquiry by asking them to step into the shoes of their peers. Ask them to consider their colleagues’ perspectives and viewpoints. Say: “What matters to this person on your team? What is that person’s biggest concern? Is there any common ground?” Your objective is to foster social and self-awareness.”
Is Your Team Solving Problems, or Just Identifying Them? (via Harvard Business Review)
“Some teams are really good at identifying problems. When colleagues propose new ideas, team members readily ask tough questions and point out risks. But they ought to be providing constructive feedback as well. How can you encourage team members to think more creatively about solving problems? For starters, they need to see you doing it. Be a role model. Say: “We’re going to talk about solutions; I don’t want to hear about obstacles just yet. And I am going to get us started.” Ask others to contribute to the conversation. Be disarming. Make sure they know their ideas need not be perfect. When you encounter skepticism, ask probing questions. What could we do differently? How could risks be mitigated? Simple things like creating a trigger word to remind employees to be solutions-oriented can make a big difference. That way, if the conversation veers off course, colleagues can help get it back on track.”
The Surprising Power of Peer Coaching (via Harvard Business Review)
“By bringing people together who have no formal accountability to or interactions with each other, you can create deep learnings that wouldn’t be available otherwise.” Several other benefits… insight into diverse perspectives, opportunities to practice new skills in a safe space, a robust accountability system, an enduring support network.
What Does It Mean to Be a Manager Today? (via Harvard Business Review)
Today’s (and tomorrow’s) managers would do well to build empathy skills. COVID-19 disruptions have made this more evident. Effective management will be less about telling people what to do, and more about forming and maintaining relationships.
Psychology
Your Burnout Is Unique. Your Recovery Will Be, Too. (via Harvard Business Review)
- Exhaustion (depletion of mental or physical resources) — choose re-energizing acts of self-care
- Cynical detachment (depletion of social connectedness) — focus on being kind to or helping others
- Reduced sense of efficacy (depletion of value for oneself) — focus on accomplishing something