What is linguistic racism? Of course, racism is such an emotive word, we need to use it cautiously. "Bias" and "racism" share many similarities. I believe that even the most fair-minded of us are biased to some degree - it's an inevitable consequence of our life experiences. But racism takes it a step further by introducing the notion of "superiority." When we're talking … [Read more...]
Giving and Accepting Peer Feedback
When you think about what makes a high-functioning team (whether in person, remote or hybrid) really click, several factors come to mind. In our research for The Long-Distance Teammate, we discovered one of the most important things that contribute to a really solid, trusting, team culture: a constant flow of feedback from and to our colleagues. Giving is as important as … [Read more...]
No Culture is Perfect, But One is Right for You
If you have your Business Buzzword Bingo card handy, get ready to put another phrase on it. The hottest topic in remote and hybrid work is "culture." Specifically, creating a “one-team” culture as we move to more hybrid work. The idea of “one team” is important. The phrase recognizes that hybrid work contains the seeds of disruption, that a hybrid team can easily splinter into … [Read more...]
Lessons Learned from a Pain in the Neck
Have you ever had an employee who was a pain in the neck? One who you just didn’t like interacting with, and who created more work for you than everyone else? If you’re honest, the answer is yes. Don’t feel bad, every manager has, and we won’t ask the person’s name. Your secret is safe with us. What have you learned from them? I recently heard that a former employee of mine … [Read more...]
Becoming Comfortable with Ambiguity
Does this sound like your workplace these days? You’re going back to work. Oops, you can go back if you want, with restrictions. Nope, everyone needs to come back next month. Sorry, we thought it was next month, now it’s January. The heck with it, we’ll just go hybrid and everyone can make up their own darned minds. If the last year and a half have shown us anything, … [Read more...]