Authority Magazine published an online interview they did with me on the topic of giving feedback. Magazine Interview here In the interview, I share a few stories about coming up at Microsoft and talk about how I approach giving feedback at work. I cover this topic in a little more depth in these two articles: … Continue reading An Interview with Alex in Authority Magazine – Giving Feedback; How To Be Honest Without Being Hurtful
The Power of Your Choices
Every little choice can lead to success – or away from it. You are the sum of your choices, and most things you do during the workday are a choice. I’m not talking about the big decisions – Do I take this job? Should I move to a new city? Am I in the right … Continue reading The Power of Your Choices
Right Decision, Wrong Decision, or No Decision
Guess Which One is Worse? During my time at Microsoft, we had a strong bias for action. It’s part of the company culture. In 2009, we were furiously building Windows Phone and trying to catch Apple. We built a good phone, but it was too little too late. I ran our daily shiproom, a … Continue reading Right Decision, Wrong Decision, or No Decision
Leadership #2,670,000,001
Direction, Clarity, Support Click here to watch the video on Direction, Clarity, and Support You can walk through a bookstore or browse on Amazon and see thousands of books about leadership. Go online, and there are literally billions of references. We’re drowning in leadership advice, and it can be daunting to wade through it all. … Continue reading Leadership #2,670,000,001
Got a Minute? We Need to Talk
Click here to see the video for Keep, Stop, Start Use the Magic Feedback Structure: Keep + Stop + Start If you have management responsibility for people, you must give feedback. It’s managerial malpractice if you don’t. People crave feedback. Just like you, they want to get better at their jobs. When you give good … Continue reading Got a Minute? We Need to Talk
Reset the Know-It-All Perspective
The Mindset of “Try It” then “Learn From It”. On the surface, this seems simple, but there’s a lot to it. In this article, I’ll tell you how I think about it, the ways to put it into practice, and the benefits you’ll gain.
Mistakes are Costly – Repairing Them is Priceless
We all make mistakes. It’s our response that counts.
Be More than a Chair
Be the one asking the hard questions
A Seat at Your Kitchen Table IS NOT the Same as a Seat at the Conference Table
While there is a lot of momentum behind WFH, the impact on relationships, and ultimately results, can’t be ignored. Don’t you miss SEEING your teammates in person?
This pen only writes one name
Last year, I published my 11 most important lessons from Microsoft email, and over 25,000 people read it and forwarded it to their friends and colleagues. Many people asked me to write in more depth about the topics in the email, so that’s what I’m doing. I’ve spent the last year writing and will share more … Continue reading This pen only writes one name