Objection to Change Isn’t Always Fear of Change
When leaders encounter resistance to change, it's easy to dismiss it as a fear response. That's a mistake.
Defaulting to Transparency
Don’t keep information indoors unless you’re confident you can clearly and convincingly answer the question “Why couldn’t that information have been shared?”.
What Is the Place of “Loyal Opposition” in an Academic Organization?
How does a leader maintain appropriate loyalty to her employer when she opposes some of what it does? And how should she communicate about such opposition to the people she leads?
Political Capital, Part 3: Alignment
Thoughts on the ethical dimensions of institutional alignment.
Political Capital, Part 2: Leadership as a “Meniscus Position”
How is a management or leadership position similar to a cartilaginous structure in the human knee?
Political Capital, Part 1: Big Circles and Little Circles
Not everything that it's possible to do is permissible; not everything permissible is feasible. An obvious point? Yes, but complicated in practice.