True power lies elsewhere

A lot of stuff lives in the "about work and not about work at the same time" bucket. Turns out that organizing humans around complex tasks is messy.

Power-posing in the driver's seat

"Don't worry, we have a slackbot that does weekly micro-learning prompts on how to use the brakes" is a transparently bad idea.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleOctober 2, 2024Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, reflection, power, psychological safety, uncertainty

What did they say when you told them?

You're just reminding them that it's a fair expectation that they would try to resolve it directly.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleAugust 7, 2024Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, reflection, psychological safety, uncertainty, accountability, feedback, culture, values, connection

Announced on Sunday, handed off on Sunday

The path to better succession planning starts with taking a moment to reflect.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleJuly 24, 2024Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, reflection, business strategy, leading through uncertainty, flexibility, psychological safety, uncertainty, accountability

Was the Future of Work a ZIRP?

You can feel lucky to have a job and still want your work to have reasonable hours, pay equity, and the flexibility to deal with family matters on a Wednesday afternoon.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleMay 15, 2024Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, reflection, accountability, uncertainty, change, org chart, power, leading through uncertainty, psychological safety

Find the through-line or make one

"How do I set goals without a strategy?" Or "How do I get my team working on the right things, when no one has told me what the right things are?"

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleMay 1, 2024Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, reflection, accountability, uncertainty, change, org chart, power, leading through uncertainty, psychological safety

If you're doing their job, who's doing your job?

The cure for a structurally overwhelmed team is a better structure. It's clarity about what matters most, and permission to hand off or put down the work that doesn't.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleApril 17, 2024Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, reflection, accountability, uncertainty, change, delegation, burn out

I'll call you from the car

The important decisions you'll make as a boss — or a human — need to be made in the midst of very loud and poorly-timed chaos.

Still uncool, but finally useful

A great performance review is not an evaluation conversation, it's an alignment conversation.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleNovember 15, 2023Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, reflection, flexibility, psychological safety, change, uncertainty, performance, goals, accountability

What to do with the muchness

Either, we're running as fast as we can toward clear targets. Or we're running as fast as we can without clear targets.

Day-to-day management in a polycrisis

Yours can be a team where people's humanity has space to coexist with, and even outrank, their productivity. It's worth building that. We're all going to need it.

What to do when everyone's eyebrows are glowing

You can't outsource interpersonal connection to the interns, and your team can't outsource it to you.

Sorry I'm getting kicked out of this room

If we want to understand the nagging sense, the underlying frustration, the thing that's screaming in blinky red lights. We're gonna have to say it out loud.

Thanks but no thanks

Sometimes humans really do need a reality check, that's fair. But if you're going to reality check someone, we suggest starting with the manager in the mirror.

Is anyone ever ready for leadership?

One of the best, most leveraged, most impactful things you can do as a leader is to grow new, excellent leaders.

Your pencils are sharp enough

We've learned that there are two types of work that are the most prone to getting stuck like this. And there are different tools we've found helpful for getting them unstuck

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleMarch 22, 2023Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, uncertainty, change, reflection, values, flexibility, startup, vacation

This will only take a minute

You can't live in hypervigilance. Well, let's rephrase that. You can, it's possible. But it's unpleasant to be around someone who has stayed in that state for too long.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleMarch 8, 2023Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, psychological safety, performance, uncertainty, change, reflection, values, burn out

You can't stand under my umbrella

Staring down a difficult reality and finding your way to acceptance is hard enough. But having a manager conceal that reality from you makes acceptance impossible.

We don't know what we don't know

Lowering your shields enough to get to real questions is the hard part. But once you have those in hand, there are still a few other mistakes to avoid.

My milkshake brings all the orgs to the yard

Someone else's goals might be eloquently written, but that doesn't mean they matter to you. Someone else's values statement might seem so clear-eyed and attractive, but that doesn't make it yours.

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