Why better relationships are important for leaders at all levels. How to build meaningful, productive, supportive, collaborative relationships.

We’ve all heard and experienced the profound truth in the phrase: What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. But what kind of stronger?

Are you the type of person who attacks the messenger? Or are you the type of person who listens, who internalizes that new information and acts on it?

Saying the words “I’m sorry” does not create accountability. It’s the way most of us avoid it. It’s a nice gesture — assuming it’s sincere — but it is at best the expression of an intention:

Genuine apologies from leaders transform team dynamics and build trust. Be specific. What proactive action can be taken? Pay attention to feelings.

How leaders can give feedback on something from the past. When it has been a while, it’s not only about a potentially uncomfortable conversation but also about breaking into the jam-packed day to create a new meeting or even just a new side conversation.

This moment — this crisis, is calling on you. It’s calling on you to have real conversations with the real humans inside your organization (and beyond).

Help your leaders level-up with our guide to accountability. We’re giving you and your people free access to the Accountability Dial Mini Course because it’s the vital first step to having productive, human conversations at work.

Most managers come to believe that gossip, politics, and bureaucracy are the way things are. And they make a decision to put their head down and try their best to get things done in spite of that dysfunction.

Being good at your job means being good at being part of a team. And being a member of a team is all about relationships.

We need feedback and reflection from our peers (and, of course, our manager if we have one) to see ourselves more clearly.

Have you ever had a conversation with your manager that started as praise and ended up with you having more work? Or, worse, feeling like the praise was a pretext, to soften a criticism, that in one form or another left you feeling that you weren’t doing enough?