Family business succession: why founders and successors avoid the conversationWhy do founders and successors put off succession? Learn the avoidance patterns and how to agree roles, decisions and the right to say no in a family business.CEO loneliness: who to talk to when you can’t share all your concernsWho can a CEO talk to about concerns they can’t share with the team? How to find a confidential sounding board and communicate uncertainty without panic.Why boards tolerate a manager who gets results at the expense of their peopleWhy do boards tolerate a manager who gets results at people’s expense? Learn how to assess a toxic manager’s behaviour, hidden costs and the right response.When a middle manager no longer wants to lead: what is really wearing them downWhat drains middle managers’ motivation? See the effects of conflicting expectations and learn how to restore their influence and clarify roles.When a business partner does less than the rest: how to talk about unequal contributionHow do you talk to a business partner who does less? Separate equity, work and responsibility, agree rules for compensation and consider your exit options.How to communicate a decision to your team when you disagree with it yourselfHow should a manager announce a board decision they don’t support? Separate the debate before the decision from responsibility for implementing it.How to talk to your best employee before they start looking for a new jobHow do you talk to your best employee before they leave? Stay interview questions and how to discuss development, workload and realistic changes.Underperforming employee: when to talk and when to use a performance improvement planWhen does underperformance call for a conversation and when for an improvement plan? Separate skills gaps from organisational barriers and set measurable goals.Your boss is always in a hurry: how to agree expectations in three minutesHow do you talk to a boss who is always in a hurry? Learn the three-minute format, how to clarify priorities with a busy boss and how to get urgent decisions.How to manage an employee who knows their job better than you doHow do you manage an employee with more expertise than you? Agree autonomy and decision rights, keep risk in check and build authority without faking expertise.How a young manager builds authority with a long-serving teamHow do you build authority with a more experienced team? Learn how to make decisions, use people’s experience and respond when your role is undermined.How to respond to an employee who asks “why?” about every decisionDoes an employee question every decision with “why?” Learn to tell useful questions from obstruction and explain clearly where a decision’s limits lie.How to lead a team when you can’t hold one-to-ones with everyoneLeading a large team leaves too little time for 1:1s. Learn how to stay accessible as a manager, share out contact wisely and keep picking up warning signs.Pay rise conversations: how to handle them as an employee and as a managerHow do you ask for a pay rise, and how do you respond to the request? See concrete arguments, questions, how to say no and a plan for agreeing next steps.How to talk to an employee who earns less than a new hireA new hire earns more than an experienced employee? Learn how to explain the pay gap, compare the scope of duties and plan any correction.How to respond when an employee starts crying during a conversationEmployee starts crying during a conversation? Learn how to offer a break, respect their choice and return to the subject without judging emotions.How to tell your team you want their views, but the decision will be yoursHow do you ask your team for input without faking a joint decision? See three forms of team involvement, sample wording and how to explain the final choice.Which psychosocial risks a manager can reduce on their ownOverload, unclear roles, conflict and lack of influence increase psychosocial risk at work. See what a manager can change alone and what to escalate.How to talk to someone who expresses anger indirectlySilence, sarcasm and slow replies can escalate conflict. Learn how to handle a passive-aggressive colleague by focusing on facts and setting clear boundaries.How to respond when your boss raises their voice – and how to return to the conversationIs your boss shouting at you? Learn safe ways to defuse the tension, separate criticism from shouting and report repeated abuse through the right channels.How to prepare a presentation for people who think in different waysDifferent audiences ask different questions. Learn how to build a presentation from argument to evidence, avoid overloaded slides and prepare for objections.Why candidates disappear and companies go silent after a job interviewCandidate gone quiet or employer not replying? Learn why ghosting in recruitment happens, what research shows and how to close the process with an honest note.“That’s not what I wanted”: when your manager changes the criteria after the work is doneHas your boss changed the requirements after you finished the task? See a concrete scenario, why it happens and how to agree clear criteria without an argument.“Do you know who I voted for?”: political conversations in the teamA joke about political views can lead to exclusion from a project. See a conflict scenario, boundaries for politics at work and new discrimination rules.“Sales make the promises and we deliver them”: conflict between sales and deliveryDid a salesperson promise a deadline without the team’s agreement? See an example of sales vs delivery conflict and how to agree what you promise clients.“He went to the director”: when an employee bypasses their direct managerDid an employee bypass their manager and take a problem to the director? See a sample conversation without accusations of disloyalty and safe escalation rules.Why new team members don’t ask questions – and how to make it easier for themNew hire silent during onboarding? Find out what stops them asking questions, how to build psychological safety and how to spot gaps in understanding.Why inconsistent return-to-office exceptions destroy trustReturn-to-office exceptions causing tension? See how to justify hybrid working rules without revealing your employees’ private circumstances.Hybrid teams: when to talk and when to writeEmail, chat or meeting? See how to match the channel to uncertainty, emotions and decisions in a hybrid team, and how to close off agreements clearly.What to discuss with your team before shortening the working weekPlanning a shorter working week? See what to discuss with your people: hours, pay, customers, on-call duties, workload and how to measure the effects.
Knowledge base · 2
The complete article list, with the newest publications first. Use search to find a specific topic.
Find an article
Enter at least 2 characters. Minor typos are OK.