WorkTies

Managers and workers across domains can be afflicted by doubts and insecurities about how they perform their work role and how this performance is perceived by others. They feel under pressure to appear confident and in control, while often struggling in silence. For example, consultants express the need to present an image of expertise and mastery to clients while scrambling to acquire the knowledge they need to meet expectations. Executives talk about angst and social disco

You might have heard the headline finding: firms with women in top management often perform better. What has been much less clear is why. In our article, “Bottom-up effects of female strategic leadership: Firm performance effects through employees,” we offer a practical answer that shifts attention away from the C-suite alone and toward what happens within firms every day. The core insight is simple but powerful: women in strategic leadership positions tend to improve firm pe

“Don’t stay quiet. Just have the conversation.” You may have heard this before, or even said this to yourself in an effort to psych yourself up for a conversation you know you need to have, but really wish you didn’t. It could be a conversation with your kids after you find out they’ve been going down the wrong path. It could be the call to your supplier who you’ve worked with for 10 years but who recently let you down on a big job. It could be the awkward sit-down with a f

Idea in Brief Even with the best intentions, leaders often fail in mentoring because they overlook "blind spots" created by organizational hierarchy and social identity. To bridge this gap, authors Rajashi Ghosh and Kathy E. Kram introduce the Relational Mirror Mindset : a self-other stance where leaders reflect on their own vulnerabilities to better empathize with the needs of others. By balancing a focus on "Self" with a focus on the "Other," mentors and mentees can transfo