It’s not innocuous, it’s steamrolling — I realized something this week that should have occurred to me sooner: typing commentary into the chat box while people are talking on virtual meetings is, essentially, talking over them. A colleague was presenting on something important, and I found myself chiming in with affirmations in the chat. The problem…

The simplest 3-step guide available — Let me get right to the point: there’s too much nonsensical social media “wisdom” out there. You don’t need all that. All you need is this simple, 200-word guide to get your follower count through the roof. Are you ready? Let’s go! Step 1 Sign up for Twitter. This might go without…

For those interested in boosting social impact — Updated 28 July 2022 A colleague recently asked what tools I use to keep current with nonprofit issues. I thought about how I do this in my daily life. What came to mind were the podcasts I listen to, the social media accounts I follow, and the websites I visit. …

Sometimes bad bosses don’t know they’re bad — I recently spoke at a conference on the topic of employee self-care and psychological safety. Every type of business struggles with these issues, and they have come fiercely into the light in the years since 2020. My industry, nonprofits, has its own particular pain points with this. One of the…

Hello and thanks for your message! — Greetings! You’re receiving this automatic response because I am on vacation — physically, mentally, and spiritually. This break began on [date] and will remain steadfast until [date]. During this time, I will have no access to email. Let me say that again for clarity: I have no access to email. …

If only more people spoke this honestly — Here’s the hard truth nobody will admit: unless you were fortunate enough to join Medium in the 1960s — back in its true heyday — you’ll never achieve the success to which several people have laid claim. Instead, you’re here now, stuck writing what I call “margarine articles.” (In the…

Remember that character from Office Space? — “FYI, we’re going to cancel the weekly Wednesday client meeting from now on,” said the email. This didn’t seem like a big deal at the time. Meetings come and go. But then I learned the meetings weren’t canceled. I was simply un-invited from them. I also realized I was “excused”…

Use systems thinking to figure out if a company is worth it — If you’ve never heard of the organizational theory “systems thinking,” let me tell you something: it’s a fantastic way to assess a business by looking at events, patterns, and structures. Like every organizational behaviorist out there, I’ve been thinking a great deal about the aspect of hiring in the workforce…