You are looking for an HR Manager or Specialist to help you develop a great company culture? Great. You do it because someone told you that you need HR? Okay. You think that this HR person will solve your problems and change your culture? Sorry, nope. You can hire the best HR person (which is a good decision), but he or she won’t change much alone. They can be the best individual fighter and they might succeed in reaching other open-minded individuals, but the problem is ALON

First of all, let me tell you that you might get to know your best friend ever at work. If that happens, forget this article and celebrate your friendship!   For the rest … let me give you some examples of consequences when being too close at work.   What means being too close? How can you be too close with someone?   It depends on the culture and business environment you live in. Some countries, in general, tend to be very close and relaxed at work. There might be no clear l

Human conflicts and disagreements are natural. As long as human beings work together, there will be those who work well together while others feel strong dislike.   And each individual would be convinced that their view of the situation is right. Worse, many feel that their perception is the only possible way of seeing it and, therefore, they must be right.   Since there is often not one single solution which helps to decide who is wrong and who is right, managers – even when

You have a business problem and cannot solve it over a longer period of time?   Let me tell you a secret:   Most of the time, it is not about the problem itself.  You think it is about the problem, but it is not.    Most problems don’t get solved or very slowly solved because it is a relationship problem.    There is some form of mistrust or underlying conflict or opposing interests. And that leads to destructive behavior, instead of getting to a solution quickly.    Most peo

Communication hack of the day: Instead of telling someone “Don’t forget to XYZ!”, try this instead: “I know that you’re already focused on XYZ … I just wanted to let you know that it is such an important part of that presentation/meeting/negotiation.” What might seem like just a different wording can be a game changer. Why? You don’t sound like a parent reminding their child. Instead you communicate on eye level and reduce the sense of hierarchy. You communicate with trust an

“I trust that you do your best.” This is a mindset and it includes an important message: YOUR best. Not my best. Or someone else’s best, that is their expectation. It includes another - equally important - baseline to start with: I trust myself. I know that I will do my best. And from this understanding, I realize that your best might be very different from mine. I will be there to support you and try to create an environment where you are capable of growing into your best ve

Some days ago, I first heard about the term "microscopic truth". Microscopic truth means telling the truth in a very specific situation,...

Sometimes I have the answer in my head. I can answer immediately.  Yet, it can be better to take the question or the topic with me and...

When working in Human Resources or as a people manager, we always have the duty to find solutions for human beings and achieve the best...

I‘m a big fan of communication. Oftentimes, I rather notice to little communication than too much of it.    And I don’t mean that...

My short answer to that question is: nothing special! Just real interest in human beings and their different personalities.   Does this...

I love how the English language differentiates between the two words “responsibility” and “ownership”.    We are all responsible for...

I often meet managers or employees who assume that I would know everything my team knows, plus more.    Sometimes, they don’t even have a...

This week I got inspired by the following thoughts of a leader I work with and I’m using my own words to explain his message.   When...

There are many instructions on how to conduct structured interviews. There are thousands of good questions you can ask a candidate and –...

It is not always fair, but it is human that leaders expect a higher performance of those who are capable and have proven that they...

I heard employees state that a certain person was a great leader and they wished they had a supervisor just like him or her. They wanted...

There is a huge difference between having the knowledge about something and behaving according to that knowledge.    This applies to all...

I often meet people who are hesitant to move into a people manager role. "I need training first", they say. And that is right and not...

There are many instructions on how to conduct structured interviews. There are thousands of good questions you can ask a candidate and –...