Note to Staff: We’re a Team, Not a Family; Corner Office, New York Times, 5/15/11

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Note to Staff: We’re a Team, Not a Family: Interview with Linda Lausell Bryant, executive director of Inwood House in New York:

"Q. How has your leadership style evolved?

A. Recently, I’ve really shifted my thinking. Our culture reflected our work, which is to create a sense of family for our teens. So our staff would say: “We’re a family. We’re a family.” And I’ve actually said directly to everyone in all-staff meetings: “We’re not a family, because in a family you never can fire somebody like your Uncle Joe. You just can’t. You have to put up with him because he’s family. In an organization, if someone is taking the organization down, we can’t accept that because the organization is bigger than any one of us.”

So I’ve said to them that the analogy that best suits us is, “We’re a team,” and in a team, everybody’s got a role to play. And the team wins when everybody plays their roles to their best ability."

Stopping Theft at Work; Harvard Business Review, 5/11/11

Nilofer Merchant, Harvard Business Review; Stopping Theft at Work:

"Being good is not enough. You gotta tell others. If this is hard for you to accept, remember what Muhammad Ali said: "It's not bragging if you can back it up." When someone else takes credit for our work, the reason it stings is because they've stolen a bit of our power. And we let them."

The No-Drama Rule of Management; Harvard Business Review, 6/10/10

Peter Bregman, Harvard Business Review; The No-Drama Rule of Management:

"Avi demonstrated the new rules of professionalism in an open work place. Be calm. Be supportive of others. Show leadership by avoiding — and, when necessary, actively managing — drama that could distract, embarrass, or unsettle others. And never, ever be the cause of that drama yourself."