SkillInside

  “The greatest good you can do another is not just share your riches, but to reveal him his own.” – Benjamin Franklin While I was at McKinsey, I was having trouble managing a new, very smart analyst fresh out of undergrad. A partner on the project took me aside and said,  “Let me teach you about the will skill matrix.” He whipped out a marker and drew a simple two by two with “will” on the vertical axis and “skill” on the horizontal, and labeled each axis low to high. He then said,  “Ok, the analyst you’re having issues with is in this box, high skill but low will. He will poison this team if you don’t do anything. When others start seeing somebody not engaged, they become disengaged. The best thing to do is have a stern talk with him about his will on this project.” Take a look at the will skill matrix visual below. That day, I sat down with the analyst for a heart-to-heart conversation. I mimicked the partner and drew the will skill matrix on a whiteboard. I laid it ou...

  If you don't have anything productive to say, don't say anything at all. Radio host Bernard Meltzer is famously quoted as having said, " Before you speak , ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid." I find that this is as true  in the workplace  as it is in personal life. That said, here are seven unhelpful words and phrases anyone in the workforce should consider removing from their  professional vocabulary . 1. I can't. "Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." Henry Ford was quoted as having said in 1947, and it holds up even today. I have my own version. Whenever I'm asked for my best advice, I always say, " 'I can't' is rarely accurate. 'I choose not to' is often the most accurate." I say "rarely" because some things are inarguable truths. I know I can't defy g...

  If you’re a leader, it’s likely that not everyone who works with you will agree with the decisions you make — and that’s okay. Leadership involves making unpopular decisions while navigating complex relationships with colleagues, partners, and clients. But often, you will need to get buy-in from these constituents, and therefore you will need to convince them to change their mind. There is little friction involved in convincing people who are your natural supporters. But trying to change the mind of a dissenter, or a  detractor , is a different story. How do you go about convincing someone who, for one reason or another, doesn’t see eye-to-eye with you? Someone who gives you a flat out “no”? In the recent research we completed for Laura’s book,  Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage , we observed, and then interviewed, more than 60 leaders who were trying to convince business associates and other constituents to change their minds on a course of action that they initia...