PATRICK FIGURES

We can’t control everything. Sometimes, even when you do everything right, things don’t go your way. Many leaders learn early that the organizations we work for don’t always show the same care with our employees that we do. And whether it’s layoffs, or no raises, or...

Navigating conflict is an essential part of leadership. As an agent of positive change, your job requires occasions to facilitate and catalyze uncomfortable conversations. This is easier said than done, because most of us grow up learning how to avoid conflict, not...

Give me a chance here. I recently listened to an episode of the Hacking Your Leadership podcast which focused on professional feedback, and specifically peer-to-peer feedback with teams from various generations. One of the hosts, Chris, said something that resonated...

Whether it’s your first time in a leadership role or you're merely starting over somewhere new, transitioning into a new job is always challenging. Some challenges you expect, learning new competencies, meeting your initial performance objectives, adopting to the...

Apologizing in the workplace, especially directly to an employee, is an odd concept for many “old school” leaders. Last week, I waxed philosophical on a circumstance when leaders should apologize to members of their team and received several interesting responses....

We’ve all said things we regret. To a husband, wife, sibling, parent, friend, acquaintance - we let a conversation get out of hand, we got irritated, and a disagreement turned into an argument. What’s the right thing to do after arguing with someone? There aren’t...

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You’re scrambling to meet a tight deadline and have somehow found time to finish up a key project. Unfortunately you're interrupted every 15 minutes by employees who need help with problems they’re perfectly capable of taking care of...

I’ve spent years using the same packet of interview questions when interviewing candidates. A good mix of direct questions and behavioral questions. Fairly direct. “What’s your proudest accomplishment at your last job?”“Describe your ideal work environment.”“Where do...

In the first year of my leadership career, I messed up a really important interaction. I learned from it and I’ve grown significantly since then, but I still look back and cringe at the avoidable outcome. I utterly failed to advocate for an employee when she asked...

I came across a great management question on Reddit: “How do you motivate your employees to work hard and do the job right without being an ass? I'm a lead cashier, and I have an employee that's a great person, but she tends to cut corners and isn't very thorough in...

I recently answered this question on Reddit: “I was promoted to management about six months ago. It's all fine except I am so awkward! I'm about the same age or a little older than those I manage. I hate confronting people, especially the cliques. People definitely...