Our success as leaders often comes down to one thing. Not our planning. Not the market. But, instead, the conversations we lead. When stakes are high (and emotions even higher) you need a solid game-plan. In this episode, we break down a three-phase strategy for winning with your next crucial conversation.
Anatomy of a Tough Talk
The Right Way to Fire the Wrong Person
5 Steps to Letting People Go Humanely
“Does it get easier the more people you fire?” someone once asked me. I’ve been in leadership for decades now, and there’s no escaping letting people go from time to time. But that doesn’t make it easier. “No,” I said, “it hasn’t. And I hope to God it never does.” But while frequency doesn’t translate […]
Hobbies of Highly Effective People
How Five Different CEOs Get the Rest and Relaxation They Need
Let’s play a word-association game: Toss out the first several words or phrases that come to mind when you hear the name “Bill Gates.” Don’t overthink it. Just say them out loud or write them down. Ready? From an informal survey I conducted, some of the terms you might have come up with include: a) […]
3 Lessons from a Monthlong Sabbatical
Real Time away Can Recharge Your Spirit and up Your Game
I began my career as a proud workaholic. I measured my contribution by the hours I clocked and the coffee I consumed. So the Michael Hyatt &Co. culture came as a bit of a shock. It was the best kind of shock, though. With a core value of radical margin and an unlimited PTO policy, […]
Winston Churchill’s Secret Productivity Weapon
How a Midday Nap Can Boost Your Performance all Day Long
One of the more unlikely museums in London is located in the basement of the Treasury, between 10 Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster: the Churchill War Rooms, the underground complex from which Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his ministers and generals fought World War II. The War Rooms is a large warren of […]
The Hidden Stressors that Keep You Working
3 Steps to Finally Make Your Home a Haven Again
If you are like many Americans, you spend more time working than ever. You’re also more likely to work weekends than in years past. We can blame decades-long efforts by companies to boost productivity (ending a century of declines in work hours) and the evolution of work-at-home arrangements for some of the extra hours. But […]