Managing People at Work

Managing People at Work

Sign in Subscribe

Latest — 27 Feb 2026

The leadership behaviors employees notice

Employees don’t wait for a formal feedback channel to form opinions about a manager. They form them continuously—from a leader’s tone in meetings, who gets attention and who gets overlooked, and the small decisions made without realizing anyone is watching. By the time those impressions surface in a

More issues

How managers unintentionally reward urgency over importance

You may say you value strategic work over reactive work, but does your calendar tell a different story? When responsiveness consistently gets praised and deep work consistently gets deferred, teams learn exactly what the reward structure is, and they optimize for it.

7 smart strategies for young managers

While your job title itself provides some credibility, your actions play a greater role in people thinking of you as a leader. Boost your reputation and your self-confidence with these seven strategies.

Are you afraid to rock the boat with your best performers?

You might be a bit scared that challenging superstars or encouraging their professional development will put it into their heads that they’re meant for greater things than their current role. Realize, though, that burnout, boredom and lack of opportunity in one’s present position pose greater flight

9 smart responses when you lack an immediate answer

While effective leaders want to stay as communicative and transparent as possible, sometimes they cannot provide a suitable answer to questions. Ignoring questions makes workers feel you don’t care, and lying to them ruins your credibility when the truth emerges. Instead, try one of these nine respo

How to encourage innovation without inviting chaos

The best leaders balance adaptability with consistency, fostering both innovation and stability. The challenge is building systems where both can thrive, not choosing between structure and flexibility.

Making defensible decisions when every option carries tradeoffs

The hardest leadership decisions aren’t always between right and wrong, but between two versions of difficult. When no option satisfies everyone, your job shifts from finding the perfect solution to making the tradeoffs clear and defensible.

8 coaching questions that turn employees into problem-solvers

Willingness to immediately offer opinions or instructions can deter employees from thinking for themselves. After all, why bother searching for answers when you can simply ask the boss?

The decisions managers delay and what it costs teams

Few management issues cause as much hidden damage as decision delay. When leaders leave questions of performance, priorities or ownership unresolved, teams compensate with assumptions. Caution turns into confusion, momentum stalls and employees learn which issues leaders avoid. Over time, those dela

How to coach instead of correct—4 ways to tell the difference

Correcting workers denies them the opportunity to build their skills and confidence. It conveys the message that you’re the expert who swoops in to tell novices what they should be doing. Do this often enough, and employees get too afraid, discouraged or complacent to act on their own.