Phil Cole
The Compliment Sandwich Doesn't Work
The compliment sandwich doesn't work. It destroys the value of the compliments and fails to provide effective feedback. Here's what to do.
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Phil Cole
- Aug 23
- 3 min
Leadership Shifts the Bounds Of Possibility
Here is an example of a leader who shifted the behavioral options available to her group until they chose personal and group failure.
Phil Cole
- Jul 8
- 4 min
Strength Isn’t Leadership. Believing It Is Often Leads to Failure.
A "strong" leader is often an unsuccessful one. Learn what to look for in a leader instead of strength.
Phil Cole
- Jun 28
- 3 min
Leadership is Learned. So is a Lack of Leadership.
People learn to lead poorly in the same manner they learn to lead well. And they get better at leading poorly.
Phil Cole
- Apr 18
- 2 min
Get on the Floor (Particularly if You Supervise Other Leaders)
You can’t possibly lead if you aren’t on the floor, where you see the functions of leadership and the process of work in action.
Phil Cole
- Mar 4
- 2 min
"What You Know" Can Still Get You Fired
When we lead, it becomes difficult to separate "what we know" from "who we are". This is when leaders get fired.
Phil Cole
- Feb 15
- 3 min
What to Do With Feedback
Feedback is useless without a process to assess and learn from it. Here's how to do this.
Phil Cole
- Feb 3
- 3 min
Imposter Syndrome is a Myth
Imposter syndrome prevents learning. The label creates pressure to avoid, not explore, the two-sided coin of self-doubt and perfectionism.
Phil Cole
- Jan 15
- 2 min
The Four Components of a Successful Compliment
A good compliment shares vision, builds relationships, and leads to a learning organization. But it needs these four things.
Phil Cole
- Jan 10
- 4 min
A Functional Perspective on HBR's Social Connections
Friedman is right that high-performing groups have social connections. This insight does not help us lead effectively.
Phil Cole
- Jan 7
- 3 min
The Three Ways to Recieve a Compliment
Compliments aren't just personal recognition, they are an opportunity to lead. But if we do them wrong, we can do harm.
Phil Cole
- Dec 20, 2021
- 4 min
Wouldn’t You Rather People Hold Each Other Accountable?
Shared accountability is where members hold each other accountable for the group's performance. Here are four things ways to encourage this.
Phil Cole
- Dec 16, 2021
- 5 min
Seven Ways to Begin Giving Constant Feedback (and Avoid the Pitfalls of the Performance Review)
Functional leadership shows us that feedback is an interchange that moves information from the customer to where it helps improve work.
Phil Cole
- Dec 10, 2021
- 5 min
The Foundation of Culture is Work (Part 1, Organizational Culture Change)
Culture change is often a judgment that behaviors are bad. Functional leadership flips this paradigm upside down, to performing work.