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Unexpected Leadership

Applicable insights, frameworks, and tools for those new to managing others

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Leadership

Sean Conner in Unexpected Leadership

Oct 9, 2018

The Radical Candor framework has two axes: Challenge Directly and Care Personally.

Kim Scott’s Guide to Radical Candor

Near the start of Radical Candor, Kim Scott writes that “Bosses guide a team to achieve results.”…

Sean Conner in Unexpected Leadership

Oct 9, 2018

A comic titled "A Daily Conundrum." An employee asks their manager, "Hey boss, what do you think about [thing you totally have an answer for." As a manager, you want to say: "Well that's easy. Let's just do A, B, and C." But you should say: "I don't know, what do you think?"

“I Don’t Know, What Do You Think?”

As a manager, I’m guessing your reports come to you with all sorts of questions. How should I…

Sean Conner in Unexpected Leadership

Sep 12, 2018

The It, The We, and The I

Over the years, I’ve experimented with several ways to give me space to reflect on my work as a manager. The goal has been to create a cadence for developing self-awareness of my leadership patterns and performance. Today, this primarily takes the form of a Clarity Break, but every…

Sean Conner in Unexpected Leadership

Aug 19, 2018

The Parroting Technique

Does your team hear what you’re saying?

Great managers communicate all the time. Often, this communication happens through casual conversations, so it’s important to gauge how a verbal directive is received in the moment.

Sean Conner in Unexpected Leadership

Aug 19, 2018

Frederick Taylor and the Science of Management

The lasting legacy of the management pioneer

Like any human tool, management is an invention. In the late 1800s, Frederick Taylor was working at Midvale Steel Works in Philadelphia, where he…

Sean Conner in Unexpected Leadership

Aug 6, 2018

The High Standards of Jeff Bezos

Every year since 1997, Jeff Bezos has penned an annual letter to shareholders that provides a glimpse into the leadership stylings of the Amazon CEO. This year, the letter turned to the subject of high standards, which Bezos says have been instrumental to Amazon’s success.

Sean Conner in Unexpected Leadership

Aug 6, 2018

Get to Know Your Report’s Life Story

I’ve been humbled again and again by the simple fact that we bring our whole selves to work. A rough morning commute leaves you on edge. A catch-up call with a friend has you running high on life. A tough family situation saps focus and creativity. Joy or…

Sean Conner in Unexpected Leadership

Jun 29, 2018

Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing

Much like individuals grow and develop over time, so does a team. In a 1965 article in the Psychological Bulletin, Bruce Tuckman introduced a team and group development model that maps a team’s effectiveness as they progress through four stages: Forming…

Sean Conner in Unexpected Leadership

Jun 24, 2018

Filling in the Gaps

The Gap illustrates the space between where you are and where you need to be. Great management is about helping your team cross this gap.

My first job out of college, I managed a funky t-shirt shop. We’d sit down with our customers at an iMac and design…

Sean Conner in Unexpected Leadership

Jun 7, 2018

A Simple Template for Providing Great Feedback from Charles-Axel Dein

Can you point to a moment when a key piece of feedback dramatically changed your personal or professional life for the better? I find such moments stick with me. Timely, effective feedback has helped me reveal…