People Management

Strong leaders create a safe, secure environment so that staffers can test the bounds of their fears and break through them. Here’s how top executives drive exceptional performance.

An intriguing aspect of leaders is how often they fail to appreciate how unusual they are. Even if you carry a powerful understanding of your team’s mission, don’t assume that everyone around shares your drive or your goals.

 

If your organization has a leadership development program, there’s no reason to keep it shrouded in mystery. A lack of transparency about the program’s structure and selection process can stoke confusion and jealousy among would-be participants.

Leaders of large organizations cannot meet regularly with every employee to reinforce important points. So a CEO needs to take creative steps to communicate to a far-flung workforce. At Chipotle, the burrito chain, founder and co-CEO Steve Ells sends messages through multiple channels.

It’s hard to be a boss for the first time, but Dan McCarthy, the director of Executive Development Pro­­grams at the University of New Hamp­­shire, has some tips to help you out.

You give instructions, but people don’t follow your lead. The solution is to prepare so that you provide supportive, timely coaching. Follow these five steps to pave the way for effective coaching.

You cannot demand that people own their jobs. Instead, you must provide a link between individual effort and a greater good. Here’s how to maximize your team’s ownership.

Intelligent leaders don’t know everything. But they’re smart enough to ask the right questions. Posing sharp inquiries elevates your team’s thinking. Here are four simple ones that effective leaders ask their colleagues.

Because unemployment figures remain high, many employees stay put even if they dislike their jobs. If you manage people who seem detached, take these steps to en­­gage employees so they don’t sit and stew:

At Pixar, the people who make the products run the show. The home of “Toy Story,” “Cars,” “Finding Nemo” and “Monsters Inc.,” builds stories from the ground up, putting faith in its employees.