In keeping with this spring season of new beginnings, we are pleased to launch Boda Insights, and share some of the ideas we are thinking about and the research we are reading, including two posts written by Boda coaches and recently published by Harvard Business Review. We welcome your reactions and feedback.
All the best,
The Boda Team
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When Your Employee Doesn’t Take Feedback
Originally published in HBR.org
In my decade as a leadership coach, I have heard countless versions of the same concern from my clients – committed leaders who understand the importance of giving actionable feedback to their team members – who find themselves thwarted when the person receiving it acts out, shuts down, or fails to follow through on promises. These managers can give feedback but can’t make their people take it. Or can they?
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How to Handle the Naysayer on Your Team
Jennifer Porter
Originally published in HBR.org
Just over a year ago, I talked with the executive vicepresident of HR for a Fortune 100 company about Joe, a member of the senior leadership team: “Joe has good ideas, but he’s really negative, and he always plays the devil’s advocate. The CEO doesn’t really listen to Joe in meetings anymore because he’s tired of hearing the challenges and opposition. I think the CEO is finally done trying to make it work.”
Two months later, Joe was fired.
Despite Joe being brilliant, driven, insightful, and knowledgeable about the industry, and having a long and successful career in the organization, his pattern of critiquing and disagreeing led to his termination. The public story was that Joe was “moving on to new opportunities”; the backstory was that the CEO needed Joe to get on board with the company’s new strategy, but Joe’s perpetual opposition was annoying, inefficient, and evidence that he was not aligned with the CEO and the rest of the team.
As I considered Joe’s story, I thought about other leaders and executive teams I have worked with where similar patterns have existed.
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How to Achieve Mindfulness in 30 Minutes
Chris Charyk
Originally published in The Daily Muse
You’ve been hearing about mindfulness everywhere: books, videos, conferences, bumper stickers, and on and on. Friends, colleagues, casual acquaintances, and complete strangers are all sharing with you how the practice has profoundly improved their productivity, creativity, health, and career.
It sounds pretty good, but also like it would take a significant time commitment. The good news is that you’re wrong. I’ve laid out the exact steps for you to start experiencing the benefits of mindfulness in the next 30 minutes.
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What Drives Us
What the Boda team is reading and thinking about this month, including:
Kim Scott: “Radical Candor – The Surprising Secret to Being a Good Boss”
“20 cognitive biases that screw up your decisions.” Samantha Lee and Shana Leibowitz
“Why Organizations Don’t Learn” Francesca Gino and Bradley Staats