Author Archives: Larry Janis

First-time manager? Here’s how to build ‘boss brain’

 

 

 

 

 

by Erica Lamberg

Easing into a leadership role can be nerve-wracking. Here’s how to set a ‘manager mindset’ and lead with confidence.

 

 

Being a manager is never easy. And if you have never supervised others, the feat can be even more daunting.

Managers are often spinning several plates: leading by example, setting and exceeding goals for your team, keeping workflow moving, providing support, and keeping employees motivated, engaged, and productive . . . all while adhering to your company’s objectives. If you haven’t done it before, it can be overwhelming.

It’s almost like having to activate an entirely new part of your brain. Luckily, experts say creating “boss brain” is within anyone’s reach, regardless of leadership experience . . . or lack thereof.

Listen and react to the feedback of your team

To develop a leadership mentality, it doesn’t necessarily start by trying to muster up more confidence. Rather, it can start by simply listening to your new direct reports. Show them that you care. Ask your team specific questions about their well-being and identify ways to alleviate some of the challenges they are facing.

According to the 2025-2026 Aflac WorkForces Report, “fewer than half [48%] of employees believe their employer cares about them, down from 54% in 2024, and nearly 1 in 5 employees [18%] believe their company doesn’t care about their mental health at all,” says Matthew Owenby, chief strategy officer and head of human resources at Aflac in Columbus, Georgia.

Part of developing “boss brain” means also developing your empathy muscle.

Zero in on direct reports’ individual strengths

Another component of a manager’s role is to meet goals. But when you’re first becoming a boss, it helps to get more granular and specific with your direct reports. Discover ways to best leverage people’s individual strengths. And then, share their accomplishments, pointing out to the rest of the organization how their contributions strengthen the team and the overall organization.

The same workplace survey revealed that when employees have a strong sense of purpose, they are more likely to report job satisfaction, be more engaged, have strong relationships with colleagues and superiors, and be less likely to experience workplace stress and burnout—all of which contribute to employee retention, he notes.

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How networking can make you a better leader

 

 

 

 

By Porter Braswell

 

 

Over the past few weeks, I’ve traveled across the U.S. and Europe, attending back-to-back leadership conferences. These weren’t your average networking events; they were filled with C-suite executives asking difficult questions in a particularly charged moment: What’s next for DEI? How do we adapt and innovate when it comes to AI? How do we steer employees in a politically divided country? On stage, speakers repeated polished points, but to me, the most important part of what these gatherings offered wasn’t the panel talks—it was the smaller, informal meetings taking place, the standing around high-tops, and the walks to the various meals.

In these candid conversations, leaders spoke with a level of candor and vulnerability that there isn’t always room for at the office. Some asked questions, others gave answers. What unified us all was a strong desire for connection, a resolve to make sense of the world together. Today’s leaders are seeing the status quo rapidly dissolve and are looking for support and guidance. As often as not, they’re finding it in one another, not in town halls or board meetings.

At one conference I attended, an impromptu group debate over what it means for a brand to have a literal voice in the age of AI prompted a CMO to leave that session committed to developing a sonic identity for their brand—not because of extensive market research, but because of a single peer-driven conversation. More and more frequently, I see firsthand the necessity for executives to have a trusted community to turn to for advice.

No Longer Just a ‘Nice-To-Have’

Today’s leaders need more than strategy decks. As we face political uncertainty, technological advancements, and cultural shifts, in this landscape, no leader can afford to try to go it alone. Yet, unfortunately, many leaders are, in fact, just that—alone.

I’m no stranger to navigating executive circles, but even after years, walking into rooms with industry leaders can still be intimidating. No matter how confident you are, it still takes genuine vulnerability to approach someone, introduce yourself, and initiate a meaningful conversation. This discomfort isn’t unusual: many executives I’ve spoken to, regardless of their tenure, have expressed feeling awkward or isolated. A recent survey found that over 70% of CEOs experience work-related loneliness, and according to former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, feeling lonely at work “reduces task performance, limits creativity, and impairs other aspects of executive function such as reasoning and decision making.”

In a time where clarity and creativity are crucial, building connections is now more necessary than ever. But the reality is, building connections takes work, and it can often be uncomfortable. The benefits are worth it, however, and for lonely or struggling executives, there’s cause to be hopeful. I’ve personally seen how many leaders openly embrace community and look out for one another, and I’ve also seen how quickly things can change for the positive when leaders get themselves into the right rooms. The ability to speak openly, share notes and experiences, and weigh pros and cons with peers before making decisions is a lifeline.

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The leadership skill nobody talks about: Self-editing

 

 

 

 

by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

 

When you think of leaders you admire, you likely imagine them as authentic, at least in the sense of seeming genuine, real, and trustworthy.

Science confirms this is usually the case.

For example, data tells us that trustworthy leaders stand out for their “no thrills” patterns of behavior: They are, in other words, predictable, reliable, and unlikely to shock their employees or followers with erratic or excitable behavior that freaks them out.

Furthermore, the best meta-analysis (quantitative review of hundreds of independent top studies) on personality and leadership tells us that one of the most consistent predictors of whether someone emerges as a leader, and is in turn actually effective in that role, is conscientiousness—a trait embodied by people who are methodical, disciplined, gritty, and who excel at self-control and resisting temptations (in other words, the opposite personality to Charlie Sheen, though his current self has no doubt become more conscientious!).

Unsurprisingly, leaders with this profile also tend to create higher levels of psychological safety, which as my colleague Amy Edmondson and I have recently illustrated is likely to create the conditions that enable teams to experiment, take healthy risks, fail smart, and speak up without fear of being reprimanded. Ironically, then, the more leaders can edit themselves, the less pressure their teams will feel to edit themselves. In other words, if you want people to feel safe and included, focus on being your best rather than your “real” or natural self.

Works in progress

More importantly, every leader is a work in progress. That is, the growing complexities and uncertainties underpinning each and every one of the new challenges leaders must face (e.g., navigating the human-AI age, coming to terms with global geopolitical conflicts, managing shareholder and stakeholder value, having a voice on polarizing matters without alienating or antagonizing or acting like a cult leader), make it imperative that leaders improve, evolve, and develop. This requires being coachable, and having the necessary curiosity, humility, and motivation to not just be yourself—to not be limited by your past and present self. (more…)

Are you trapped in the middle as a middle manager?

 

 

 

 

by Anna Burgess Yang

 

I spent several years of my career in the uncomfortable role of middle manager. On one side, I had executives asking me why my team couldn’t “do more,” and on the other side, my employees told me they were stretched too thin.

It was an endless tug-of-war. I was both the enforcer of company expectations and the advocate for my team’s needs. At times, my role felt at complete odds with itself. Executives push for efficiency and growth, while employees look for empathy and stability.

The shifting role of middle management 

My role as a middle manager was many years ago. Today’s middle managers have the added pressure of potentially becoming obsolete. Big companies like Amazon, Google, and Citigroup have opted to make their management teams leaner. Not to mention the looming threat of AI.

With flattening org charts and AI-driven efficiencies, the role of middle management has changed. They’re no longer the roles that “keep things moving.” Instead, they’re responsible for people: managing culture and communication across departments and locations.

Yet even though the expectations and job descriptions have changed, many of the underlying limitations of middle management haven’t. Middle managers often have limited authority to implement changes. Yet, somehow, they have unlimited accountability for outcomes.

Unlimited accountability that often leads to burnout, especially when managing people. I spoke to one former middle manager who said that she felt like she had to compensate for her employer’s unsustainable growth practices. “I had to choose between screwing people over or shielding my team,” she said. “It was emotionally draining.” Eventually, she quit and took a new job as a non-manager.

The reimagined role of middle management

To survive in the new world of middle management, you have to acknowledge that you’ll mostly be a people-manager rather than a task-manager.

To succeed in this type of role, you’ll need to do all of the following:

Set the right expectations with upper management, making your team’s bandwidth and capabilities clear.

Push back strategically and learn to frame conversations around outcomes (“If we do X, here is the impact on Y”).

Protect your team’s trust by being transparent, admitting the limitations of your authority, and advocating for fair workloads.

Protect your own boundaries by caring for your team without carrying the burden of everyone’s problems.

For many companies, middle management is the only way to get ahead (and earn more money). Yet it’s an increasingly risky role for companies that see the job only as task-based, not people-based. Those employers are most likely to lay off managers during rough economic times or when AI can replace tasks.

Take on a middle manager role with your eyes fully open. If the company doesn’t value a people-based role, you might want to find a new job elsewhere. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself underappreciated, constantly pulled in different directions, and at risk for losing your job.

This post originally appeared at fastcompany.com

The 5 Leadership Skills You Can’t Afford to Automate

 

 

 

 

by Matthew J. Kirchner

AI career and life coaches are suddenly everywhere.

An HBR study of AI use cases shows ‘therapy’ at the top of the list, followed closely by ‘finding purpose.’ Almost half of Gen Z professionals claim they get better guidance from AI than from their managers.

But should AI really be a substitute for human coaching? The simple answer is: no, not yet. And maybe not ever.

Tools like ChatGPT may be invaluable assistants in researching career pathways or building out business scenarios. But when it comes to full-fledged career coaching, they also come with significant drawbacks. Many ill-fated interactions have illustrated precisely how AI guidance can be misguided, disconnected – and even harmful.

As a certified executive coach and CEO of a people-centered company, I would never use AI to replace a human coach. Good coaching is as much about the relationships built as the results achieved. Guiding and motivating people — and building winning teams — simply isn’t something AI alone can accomplish.

In my experience, these are the core human skills that aren’t replicable — and why people need them to succeed.

1. Deep listening

Listening is a non-negotiable part of coaching — but how you listen matters. I follow the Co-Active Training Institute’s three levels of listening framework (used by Columbia University) to go beyond the surface-level listening we use in everyday conversation (listening to respond versus more concentrated communication).

At level three, you’re attuning to the whole person – not just their words, but also their tone, body language and even their pauses – aspects of communication that go well beyond the reach of AI.

2. Asking questions instead of providing answers

Many people assume business coaching is about giving expert advice (and AI doesn’t hesitate here). But the best coaches help people discover their own solutions, acting as a guide rather than a director. They draw on their experiences and intuition to frame open-ended questions that hit the right nerve at the right time.

More importantly, they encourage people to do their own self-discovery work more effectively than any automated follow-up message ever could.

3. Avoiding judgment but pushing accountability

ChatGPT4 quickly became the ultimate ‘yes man,’ and while validation can feel good (users asked for it back when this feature was removed from ChatGPT5), it doesn’t always drive personal growth. Great coaches balance empathy with accountability, knowing when to nudge people out of their comfort zone. I saw this play out in a recent leadership meeting.

My team presented color-coded scorecards that revealed not just where we were succeeding, but also where we were struggling. Their willingness to share both sides of the story — not just the wins — reflected the kind of accountability that makes real business growth possible.

4. Having difficult conversations people feel good about

Safety and accountability don’t always feel compatible, but the best coaches bring them together. AI won’t call you out (unless you prompt it to), but a good coach will show you they care enough to challenge you.

But here’s the critical thing: the best coaches may be delivering hard truths, but they’ll also monitor how the information is received and adjust their tone and delivery style so that the outcome feels not only more palatable, but also actionable.

5. Investing in growth

As a leader, effective coaching isn’t just about developing strategy and solutions; it’s also a process of actively supporting people in setting goals — and helping them work toward achieving them. When team members see that you’re invested in their growth, it’s a powerful opportunity to develop loyalty and trust, which often results in higher retention and greater collaboration on shared objectives.

Outsourcing that whole process to AI strips away one of the biggest business benefits of human connection: productivity.

Finding a balance between AI and human coaching

Despite all these advantages, the reality is that more people are turning to AI tools like ChatGPT as a substitute for human coaching. Even inside the coaching industry, norms are evolving.

Two-thirds of coaches are now using AI with their clients, and nearly half have built their own app or digital tool. Personally, I use AI nearly every day. It’s a remarkable thought partner, and it helps me frame issues, uncover insights from complex data, and explore solutions.

And I think this is precisely where AI can add value for all of us seeking career guidance and feedback – as an extra layer of context and support to augment the work of a human coach.

For example, AI is great in the discovery and data collection stages of the coaching journey. It can provide a structured line of questioning, and crunch huge amounts of data like job market trends, skills gaps and past performance to provide precise, actionable feedback.

AI also excels at the admin side of coaching — the scheduling, progress tracking, report generation and reminders that even the best human coaches sometimes overlook.

And, unlike a human coach, AI is always on — for those times between coaching sessions when background or input is needed in the moment.

But this alone is not enough. Ideally, these AI efficiencies free up human coaches to focus on the impactful, strategic work only they can accomplish. It means they’re more available to provide emotional intelligence and empathy for complex career decisions.

And it means they can be more present to pick up on the multifaceted, non-verbal and emotional cues that AI simply overlooks.

For me, that’s the true power of coaching — it reaches people on a deeply human level. AI can streamline processes, distill data and surface insights, but it can’t build trust, spark confidence or look someone in the eye and remind them they’re capable of more than they believe. That’s the work of a leader — and it will always be more effective when delivered human to human.

Source: Entrepreneur